The Ukrainian suspect suspected of being involved in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline was confirmed to be a soldier on duty in a special unit of the Ukrainian army at the time of the sabotage.
The information was published by German news magazine Der Spiegel. The magazine said that documents from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and statements from a former Ukrainian military officer confirmed the suspect's connection with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Der Spiegel's news report cited the content of a letter sent by the Ukrainian Ministry of National Defense to the Human Rights Committee of the Ukrainian National Assembly, in which it confirmed that the suspect had served in the army from August 10, 2022 to November 28, 2023, with the rank of captain, belonging to a special combat unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
A former Ukrainian military officer also confirmed that the suspect was under his command during the above period. This person said: "We fully follow all orders of the unit and are not allowed to leave the position without permission".
The Nord Stream suspect was arrested this summer while on vacation with his family in Italy. The Ukrainian man was later extradited from Italy to Germany in late November and is awaiting trial.
Nicola Canestrini, the lawyer of the Nord Stream suspect, has filed an appeal with the German Federal Court of Justice. According to this lawyer, the alleged actions of the customer should not be prosecuted under the principles of international law when the suspect acts under the command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
"If he was attacking, it was because he was told to. Because he is clearly a captain of the Ukrainian army," lawyer Canestrini said at a hearing in November.
On September 26, 2022, powerful explosions damaged branches of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, near Denmark and Sweden, leading to serious gas leaks. Investigators later determined that three of the four branches of the two systems were deliberately sabotage.
