German probe links suspects to Nord Stream pipeline blast

German Attorney General Jen Rommel stated in an interview with "Der Spiegel" that the investigation into the pipeline explosions has made progress.

"We have managed to identify two suspects." In my opinion, this is a success that was not foreseeable from the start," he said.

"The identity of other accused individuals, the motivation for the crime, and particularly the question of possible government control over the operation are subjects of an ongoing investigation," he added.

Rommel did not disclose further information about the suspects. "There was a severe attack on our country's energy supply, aiming to destabilize the economy and society, regardless of any political agreements," he said when asked about the potential involvement of Ukraine in the attack.

German media reported that, according to investigators, three employees from a Kyiv diving school were involved in the attack. The primary suspect, Volodymyr S., reportedly fled from Poland to Ukraine in July. According to sources from German media, he might have been previously warned that Berlin was interested in him.

According to the "Wall Street Journal," the entire operation was prepared by a group of high-ranking Ukrainian officers and businessmen. The plan was approved by Volodymyr Zelensky, but at the request of the CIA, he ordered the operation to be stopped. The former commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhny, did not carry out the order.

Zaluzhny, currently the ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom, told the newspaper he knows nothing about such an operation and that any suggestions otherwise are "plain provocation." He added that the Ukrainian armed forces were not authorized to conduct foreign missions and, therefore, could not have been involved. Officially, Kyiv denies involvement in the sabotage of Nord Stream.