German investigators are looking into evidence that a sabotage squad used Poland as an operating base to damage the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea in September, according to latest reports.
The “Andromeda,” a 50-foot (15-metre) white pleasure yacht suspected of being implicated in the sabotage of pipes carrying Russian gas to Europe, has had its two-week journey meticulously reconstructed by German investigators, according to the publication,
It was pinpointed that the yacht deviated from its target to venture into Polish waters.
The Washington Post reported this week that the U.S. had learned of a Ukrainian plan to attack the pipelines three months before they were damaged by the underwater explosions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday told German media that Ukraine did not attack Nord Stream pipelines.
The blasts occurred in the economic zones of Sweden and Denmark. Both countries said “the explosions were deliberate but have yet to determine who was responsible.”
Investigators concluded an explosive used in the operation was HMX, also known as octogen, a colourless substance suited for demolishing underwater infrastructure, the Wall Street Journal said.
In March, German media reported on the likely involvement of a yacht from a Polish business owned by Ukrainian individuals in the attack.
According to those aware with the Andromeda’s mission, the sabotage team had completed half of their job, dropping deep-sea explosives on Nord Stream 1, before steering their Bavaria 50 Cruiser away from their target, toward Poland.
Andromeda, which had been chartered from a German business headquartered near where the pipelines land, went back north in what investigators suspect was an attempt to finish its duty and put mines on Nord Stream 2, according to the publication.
