Zelensky says Ukraine had no role in Nord Stream sabotage as two Ukrainians remain in custody in Germany

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky affirmed during a Nordic-Baltic Eight summit that his nation had no involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022. He emphasized Ukraine's readiness to aid European partners in probing the incident. Zelensky stated at the Kyiv summit, "We have discussed the matter with the German side at a high level. They know perfectly well that Ukraine was not responsible for the implementation and the very idea of implementing the relevant operation."

Currently, two Ukrainian nationals—Serhiy Kuznetsov and Volodymyr Zhuravlev—are under arrest in Germany's investigation of the pipeline sabotage. Kuznetsov was extradited from Italy, while Zhuravlev faced extradition after being detained in Poland and later Croatia. In August 2022, two pipeline explosions occurred near Denmark's Bornholm island, causing four leaks across three Nord Stream pipelines.

German authorities suspect seven Ukrainians were involved, including Zhuravlev, an explosives expert, a yacht captain, and Kuznetsov, who served in Ukraine's Special Operations Forces at the time.

In December, Ukraine's Defense Ministry confirmed Kuznetsov's participation in the Special Operations Forces during the sabotage. In January, Germany's Federal Court of Justice ruled the explosions were "in all likelihood" orchestrated by Ukraine on behalf of a foreign state. The Ukraine-Nordic-Baltic summit took place on August 23 in Kyiv, uniting leaders from Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Norway, and Denmark.