Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on July 15 (local time) mentioned a press release from the German Federal Prosecutor's Office, which stated that an indictment was filed on June 30 against "Ukrainian citizen Sergey K" in the sabotage of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea in September 2022.
According to the statement, Sergey K and accomplices organized and carried out the attack on Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2. The defendant is charged with "supporting and assisting war crimes through committing a number of criminal offenses, including attacking civilian targets, causing explosions with explosives, destroying structures and disrupting the operation of public property".
However, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that "it is difficult to say about the objectivity of the German judicial system or the correctness of the conclusions of the German judicial system" because German officials refuse to provide legal support under criminal law and anti-terrorism conventions or cooperate with Russian law enforcement agencies in investigating the Nord Stream case.
Russia has and will continue to emphasize that not only those who caused the incident, but also those who ordered the unprecedented terrorist attack, must be identified and publicly identified. I will reiterate to the Western foreign ministries the very words they used to tell us: Knowing only the name of the person who caused the incident is not enough. I would also like to reiterate their own saying: You have an obligation to identify those who ordered it to be carried out" - Ms. Zakharova said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that Denmark and Sweden spent 1.5 years investigating the Nord Stream case before all evidence was transferred to Germany. The Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines exploded in the exclusive economic zone of Denmark and Sweden. "They did so despite the huge environmental damage caused to the Baltic Sea near their coast due to the discharge of hundreds of thousands of tons of methane gas" - she added.
Spokeswoman Zakharova noted that the German prosecutor's indictment also stated that the Nord Stream pipeline alone met half of Germany's annual gas demand.
So, according to their own logic, a Ukrainian - Sergey K - has done what they themselves describe as not only war crimes but also an attack on the foundation of German economic prosperity and the happiness of the people of this country - the economic engine of the European Union. According to this version, only Sergey K has deprived Germany of gas supplies" - she argued.
According to the Russian diplomat, this shows a very contradictory situation, "an absurd play around the world". Ms. Zakharova also reiterated that "the most important thing in any investigation is not to turn yourself into a guilty person".
