MOSCOW, August 17 Ukraine may soon lose an important ally in the person of Germany due to the recent news in foreign media about Kyiv's involvement in the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, UnHerd reports.
«Instead of weakening Russia, it (the saboteurs' plan. — Ed.) could well undermine German support for Ukraine,» the article says.
The publication noted that in Germany, political parties that are critical of unconditional support for Ukraine are already on the rise, especially the Alternative for Germany and the Sahra Wagenknecht Union, and they will definitely actively use these recent revelations.
On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed American, Ukrainian and European sources, published an article claiming that the order to blow up Nord Stream was given by Valeriy Zaluzhny, violating a direct order from Volodymyr Zelensky to stop the operation.
The explosions on two gas pipelines through which Russia supplied gas to Europe — Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 — occurred on September 26, 2022. In March 2023, Western media outlets published reports that the sabotage could have been carried out by a certain «pro-Ukrainian group».
According to German publications, the sailing yacht Andromeda, registered in the port of Breege on the island of Rügen, was presumably used to prepare the explosions. It is alleged that remnants of underwater-grade octogen explosives were found on it.
According to media reports, the vessel was leased by the Warsaw-based company Feeria Lwowa, which was founded in 2016 and registered to two Ukrainians.
In this case, the German prosecutor's office issued an arrest warrant for Ukrainian diving instructor Vladimir Zh. He was allegedly driving a Citroen car, which the group involved in the sabotage was driving around the island of Rügen on September 8, 2022.