Zelensky denies Ukrainian role in Nord Stream sabotage following German probe

Denial of state involvement

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected findings from German investigators on Sunday, 23 August 2026, stating that Kyiv played no part in the 2022 bombing of the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea. German federal prosecutors concluded in July 2026 that the underwater sabotage was carried out on orders from the Ukrainian state. Zelensky addressed reporters directly to dispute those conclusions and protect relations with Berlin, which remains Ukraine's primary European military supporter in its defense against Russia. He stated that German officials are aware that Ukraine was not involved in the execution, planning, or initial conception of the operation. Kyiv has consistently denied involvement in the maritime strikes since the blasts occurred.

Ukraine has never officially taken part in any operation linked to the sabotage of Nord Stream.

Recent arrests across Europe

The diplomatic friction follows fresh enforcement actions connected to the ongoing German criminal probe. On Wednesday, 19 August 2026, law enforcement authorities in Croatia arrested a Ukrainian citizen suspected of direct involvement in the pipeline sabotage. According to the German federal prosecutor's office, the detained man was reportedly working on a film dedicated to the attack and had collaborated with another Ukrainian national. That second suspect had been arrested by Italian authorities in 2025 and subsequently extradited to Germany. German prosecutors have identified a specialized cell consisting of five men and one woman who allegedly coordinated and carried out the maritime mission.

Timeline of pipeline investigations

The undersea blasts occurred on 26 September 2022 in international waters near the Danish island of Bornholm. The explosions severed both conduits of Nord Stream 1, which had transported Russian gas to Germany since 2011, and destroyed one of the two lines of Nord Stream 2. The Nord Stream 2 system was completed shortly before the conflict began but had never entered commercial operation. Although one line of Nord Stream 2 remained technically intact, German authorities rejected subsequent proposals from Moscow to resume deliveries through the surviving tube. Judicial authorities in Sweden and Denmark launched independent investigations into the incident but formally closed their cases in 2024, leaving Germany as the sole European jurisdiction pursuing criminal suspects.

Bilateral relations with Berlin

Zelensky emphasized that Ukrainian state agencies are actively assisting German authorities with the ongoing judicial inquiries. He noted that maintaining stable diplomatic and security ties with European partners remains a fundamental priority for Kyiv. Germany has served as Ukraine's most significant European supplier of military and financial aid since the start of the Russian invasion, giving the prosecutor's allegations significant political weight. Ukrainian officials have sought to reassure European partners that state resources were never allocated for covert infrastructure strikes within European waters.

It is very important for us not to lose our partnership, not to lose the trust of European countries that have helped Ukraine since the very beginning of this war.