Germany Issues Arrest Warrant for Nord Stream Pipeline Sabotage Suspect
Germany Issues Arrest Warrant for Nord Stream Pipeline Sabotage Suspect
The Facts
Germany issued a warrant for the arrest of Ukrainian diving instructor Vladimir Zhuravlev in connection with the September 2022 sabotaging of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines.
The warrant was issued in June thanks to traffic cameras identifying Zhuravlev's Ukrainian license plate in Germany, though he was in Poland by then. Since Germany didn't put his name into a law enforcement database, Polish authorities were unable to apprehend him before he left for Ukraine.The warrant was issued in June thanks to traffic cameras identifying Zhuravlev's Ukrainian license plate in Germany, though he was in Poland at the time. Since Germany didn't put his name into a law enforcement database, Polish authorities could not apprehend him before he fled home to Ukraine.
The Spin
This arrest warrant likely substantiates past theories about a joint operation between Ukrainian officials and a private group. Last year, a Ukrainian special forces officer — in defiance of Pres. Zelenskyy — was found to have coordinated a scheme to rent a boat and send divers to blow up the pipeline. Now that these individuals are being tracked down, the Nord Stream mystery will hopefully be solved, and the West can continue supporting Ukraine through normal means.
This arrest warrant is another lie being told to keep the public from knowing that the US government was behind the attack. Over two years ago now, sources close to the government's plan confirmed that US Navy divers conducted the sabotage. This was at the behest of Pres. Biden's National Security Advisor, who, weeks before Russia even invaded Ukraine, ordered the military and CIA to draw up a plan to destroy the pipelines.
