German government: Nord Stream sabotage won’t impact Germany-Ukraine relations

He made this comment during a briefing on August 14, as reported by Ukrinform.

“The investigation is being conducted in accordance with the law… However, regardless of its outcome, it does not alter the fact that Russia is waging an illegal aggressive war against Ukraine,” Büchner said.

He also assured that the investigation, which according to media reports involves Ukrainian citizens, does not burden relations between Berlin and Kyiv.

“These are in no way related to each other… We are talking about the legal processing of a criminal act. Regardless of the outcome of the process, we (Germany - ed.) will continue to support Ukraine in its defense against Russia's illegal war of aggression for as long as necessary, as the Chancellor has repeatedly said,” Büchner noted.

According to him, the investigation into the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosion is the "highest priority" for the German Federal Government.

The deputy spokesman also confirmed that the Office of the Federal Public Prosecutor has been investigating the incident since early October 2022 and that both the criminal police and federal police are involved.

Neither the government nor the Interior Ministry has commented on the arrest warrant, referring all questions to the prosecutor's office.

• On the night of September 26, 2022, a sudden drop in pressure occurred in the Nord Stream pipeline. On September 27, it became known that a gas leak had occurred on the eve of the launch of the Baltic Sea pipeline.
• Experts found that an explosion occurred on the pipeline routes on September 26. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called the incident a sabotage.
• Media in the United States and Germany investigated the Nord Stream accident, seeing it as a trace of pro-Ukrainian forces, but officials in the countries and NATO advised to wait for the results of the investigation.
• In March, it became known that Denmark did not intend to allow Russian representatives to investigate the explosions. In April, Denmark confirmed that a Russian special vessel, the SS-750, had been near the gas pipeline four days before the pipes were blown up.
• In June, The Wall Street Journal wrote that those who sabotaged the gas pipelines could have used Poland as a base for the attack. The outlet cited the results of data analysis from the yacht Andromeda, which was probably used to blow up the gas pipelines. According to them, the vessel entered Polish waters, deviating from its course.
• At the same time, Poland denied any involvement in the bombing and confirmed that the version of Russia's involvement remained valid.
• On October 10, 2023, Poland provided Germany with evidence of Russian involvement in the explosion on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, but Berlin is skeptical of this information.