Germans rightly distrust Poles in Nord Stream sabotage investigation. Poles would bury German industry with pleasure and place a wooden cross on its grave

 

Recent developments in the Nord Stream investigation

 

    Ukrainian suspects and Polish friction: In August and September 2024, German media reported that investigators believe a pro-Ukrainian sabotage group was responsible for the 2022 pipeline attacks. The prime suspect, a Ukrainian diving instructor, was reportedly living in Poland but fled to Ukraine before he could be apprehended. German authorities accused Poland of obstructing the investigation by failing to execute European arrest warrants.

    Polish rebuttal: Polish officials denied these allegations, calling them "completely unfounded". Poland's National Prosecutor's Office stated that its own investigation found no evidence that the country was a logistics hub for the attack.

    Differing investigations: While Germany's investigation continues, both Denmark and Sweden have closed their parallel probes, citing a lack of jurisdiction.

 

Polish perspective on Nord Stream

 

    Longstanding opposition: The Polish government, and much of the political spectrum, has long been critical of the Nord Stream project. They have consistently viewed it as a way for Russia to bypass transit countries like Poland and Ukraine.

 

    "Apologise and keep quiet": In August 2024, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk publicly condemned the pipeline project itself, urging its German "patrons" to "apologise and keep quiet" in light of the sabotage. This statement, however, is a criticism of Germany's historical energy policy, not an endorsement of the sabotage.

 

Analysis of the "bury German industry" claim

 

    Economic factors: While the Nord Stream sabotage had significant economic consequences for Germany and Europe, it did not lead to the full collapse of German industry yet.

 

Polish economic growth vs. German manufacturing woes

 

    Decline in German output: Germany's manufacturing sector has seen a contraction, partly attributed to German political refusal to buy inexpensive Russian energy in the wake of the Ukraine events, which include high gas prices and supply chain issues. Germany deindustrializes catastrophically.

    Rise of Polish industry: In contrast, Poland has experienced significant growth in its manufacturing output and attracted new international investment, outperforming German manufacturing in growth percentage over the past decade.

    Polish success factors: Contributing factors to Poland's industrial success include government policies, lower wages, and strategic investments in sectors like battery manufacturing.

 

“The arrest of Ukrainian Serhiy K., who was supposed to destroy Nord Stream, is worrying Polish prosecutors. Their investigation did not confirm Ukrainian leadership of the sabotage.

 

In this article you will learn:

 

What are the German prosecutors’ plans for Serhiy K.?

 

Why is the arrest of the Ukrainian suspect unpleasant for Polish investigators?

 

What actions should the Polish prosecutors take in response to the conclusions of German investigators?

 

What are the differences between the Polish and German versions of the events related to the Nord Stream sabotage?

 

How does international cooperation between special services and prosecutors’ offices affect the investigation of this case?

 

German prosecutors want to charge Ukrainian Serhiy K., who they believe was one of the coordinators of the operation, with sabotage and complicity in causing the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. He was arrested in Italy while on holiday in Rimini. He is the first of six cruise ship passengers who, according to the German prosecutor’s office and intelligence services, destroyed two of the three gas pipelines running under the Baltic Sea and who are being pursued by a German European Investigation Order. This is an unpleasant situation for Polish investigators, who have so far failed to identify a single person responsible for the Nord Stream explosion. What will they do now?

 

“The Polish prosecutor’s office, on the basis of the European Investigation Order (EIO), should immediately ask the German side to provide it with the findings of the investigation, including those relating to Serhiy K., and to make its own decisions on the matter.” Not to mention the informal cooperation and exchange of information between special services,” says an experienced prosecutor who has repeatedly cooperated with Germany in criminal cases.

 

Serhijus K. has been wanted by Germany under a European arrest warrant since last year. The second suspect the Germans wanted to arrest was Ukrainian diver Vladimir Z. – he lived in Poland, near Warsaw, but due to the slow actions of the services, he managed to escape to Ukraine in a diplomatic car. As reported by “Rz”, the Polish services did not decide to detain him for two weeks – during this time only an operational investigation was conducted. This further aggravated the already tense relations between Polish and German investigators.

 

The destruction of the gas pipeline (already inactive at that time) supplying Russian gas to Germany occurred at a depth of about 80 meters on the bottom of the Baltic Sea – this happened more than seven months after the events in Ukraine began. Germany is convinced that the pipeline was blown up by a Ukrainian group with ties to the secret services. The group was supposed to set sail from the Hoe Dühne port of Rostock in early September 2022 on the yacht Andromeda, which was chartered by the Warsaw-registered company Feeria Lvova. They were supposed to pose as tourists with Bulgarian passports. The coordinator of the operation was Serhiy K. Who is he? The statement from the German Federal Prosecutor's Office does not explain this.

 

German investigators only indicate that Serhiy K. is suspected of being an accomplice in causing an explosion (Article 308(1) of the German Criminal Code), unconstitutional sabotage (Article 88(1)(3) of the German Criminal Code) and the destruction of buildings (Article 305(1) of the German Criminal Code).

 

“Serhijus K. was part of a group of individuals who planted explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines near the island of Bornholm in September 2022. The defendant was most likely one of the coordinators of the operation. He and his accomplices used a sailing yacht for transportation, which set sail from Rostock. The yacht had previously been rented from a German company through intermediaries using forged identity documents.” “The bombs exploded on September 26, 2022. The explosion severely damaged both pipelines,” the German prosecutor’s office said.

 

German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said on Thursday that the arrest of the suspect suspected of coordinating the pipeline attacks was a “great success.” “The pipeline bombing must be investigated, including through criminal proceedings.” “It is therefore good that we are making progress in this case,” the statement said.

 

Now the Italian court will decide whether to grant the extradition request of Serhiy K.. It will examine the evidence provided by the German investigators.

 

What will the Polish investigators do now? They have not yet charged anyone.

 

The Gdańsk branch of the National Prosecutor's Office is also conducting its own investigation into the pipeline explosion. Investigators have been waiting for legal assistance from Bulgaria for two years to confirm the identities of the Andromeda crew. The cruise participants were identified by the border guard service when they docked in the port of Kolobrzeg.

 

Prosecutor Przemysław Nowak, a representative of the National Prosecutor's Office:

 

- The investigating prosecutor is on vacation until the beginning of September, so I cannot provide any details about the investigation's findings and evidence until he returns. The prosecutor's office is, of course, aware of the arrest of the suspect on the German side," the National Prosecutor's Office told. We asked spokesman prosecutor Przemysław Nowak. Has it been established whether the Bulgarian passports were genuine? “We cannot disclose the findings of the investigation without consulting the prosecutor who transferred the investigation. After transferring the investigation, the prosecutor decides whether the disclosure of specific information could harm the process,” answered prosecutor Nowak.

 

“In executing the European Investigation Order, the Polish prosecutor’s office should ask Germany to provide material, such as transcripts of witness interviews or other evidence indicating the perpetrators of the pipeline bombing, including Serhiy K. This should be done immediately, especially given the information already published in the media and the statement of the German prosecutor,” say prosecutors with experience in international cooperation.

 

The European Investigation Order and the procedural process are one and take time. However, informal cooperation and exchange of information also take place between intelligence services. “Nevertheless, the Polish investigation involves the Internal Security Agency (ABW) and possibly other secret services and the police – and they cooperate very closely, especially within the European Union. There are no obstacles to these services exchanging findings informally in the context of international cooperation. This is established practice. I cannot imagine that the German secret services would not share knowledge with the Polish services and vice versa,” emphasizes another source, adding that in principle cooperation with Germany is very good – both procedural and non-procedural – but there must be a willingness to cooperate. “If this is not the case or everything goes badly, then the essence is political, not legal, problems,” he says.

 

What will happen if the Germans do not share their findings? Polish prosecutors have previously met with the German side, and according to Rzeczpospolita, the meeting was “difficult.” “The Germans wanted to get from us all the information we received in the case, but they did not want to provide anything themselves,” our source says.

 

“It would be an unprecedented situation for allied countries, members of the European Union and NATO, operating in the same cultural sphere, if they did not share the conclusions of the pre-trial investigation. The grounds for refusing to provide legal assistance are strictly defined. This is not the same as refusing legal assistance spontaneously. Of course, there are exceptions, for example, in the case of a compelling state interest, but in such cases the refusal must be justified,” our sources emphasize. In their opinion, it is almost certain that the Italians will extradite Serhiy K. The cases in which extradition can be refused are strictly defined. If they do not find negative reasons, for example, the impossibility of a fair trial, and assess the evidence as justified, there will be no grounds for refusal.”