In the investigation of the "North Stream" natural gas pipeline explosion in 2022, two Ukrainian suspects have been arrested, but the Ukrainian government firmly denies any involvement in this incident. According to a report by Reuters on August 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a media interview on the 23rd that Ukraine was not involved in the "North Stream" explosion and would cooperate with the relevant investigations.
Zelenskyy said, "Ukrainian authorities have never been involved in any actions to destroy the ‘North Stream-2’ pipeline. I hope the investigation will be successful, and we are ready to provide assistance at any time." He noted that Ukraine has held high-level talks with Germany on this issue, and German officials "also know that Ukraine did not plan or carry out any related actions."
Zelenskyy added that the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the General Prosecutor are willing to cooperate with the investigation. “For us, it is important not to lose the partnerships and trust of European countries that have supported Ukraine since the beginning of the war.”
Ukraine President Zelenskyy video screenshot
In September 2022, the Russian pipelines for exporting natural gas to Europe, "North Stream-1" and "North Stream-2," were both damaged. Germany, Denmark, and Sweden believe that these incidents may be targeted sabotage efforts.
In August 2025, the Ukrainian suspect Sergei K was arrested in Italy and transferred to Germany a few months later. Sergei K’s lawyer stated that the German prosecutor’s office believes that the destruction of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline was carried out under the direction of Ukrainian state agencies.
According to a ruling by the German Federal Court in December 2025, Sergey K is an officer from a special unit in Ukraine. He and six accomplices were accused of taking a sailboat that had been rented for several weeks. They set out from Lüneburg Island in Germany and placed four ‘highly destructive explosives’ under the sea, causing damage to three of the four ‘North Stream’ pipelines.
On August 19th, the German Federal Prosecutor's Office announced that another Ukrainian suspect, Vladimir Z, who was involved in the ‘North Stream’ explosion case, has been arrested in Croatia. He is in the same group as Sergey K.
