Sweden ends Nord Stream sabotage probe, hands evidence to Germany
NBCFeb 02
Arrest Warrant Issued for Nord Stream Pipeline Sabotage Suspect
Above: The release of gas emanating from a leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea in 2022. Image copyright: Handout/Handout/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
It has been reported that Germany in June 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.
Authorities used traffic cameras to identify 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 couldn't apprehend him before he fled home to Ukraine.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
This 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.
Establishment-critical narrative
This is a further cover-up of the fact that the US government was most likely 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 ordered the military and CIA to draw up a plan to destroy the pipelines even before Russia invaded Ukraine.