The Polish government has allegedly been hindering the investigation into explosions at the Nord Stream gas pipelines, the Wall Street Journal reported on Jan. 8, citing investigators who are working on the case.
The Nord Stream underwater pipelines connecting Russia to Germany were blown up in September 2022. Investigations have been ongoing since then, but have yet to produce a definitive conclusion into the source of the explosions.
In the aftermath of the explosions, several Western officials referred to the pipe leaks as “deliberate acts of sabotage” but could not unequivocally verify that the damage was linked to Russian involvement.
Denmark confirmed in April 2023 that a Russian SS-750 vessel was photographed close to the location of the sabotaged Nord Steam pipelines.
Sources in British intelligence told the Times newspaper shortly after the explosions that Russia was allegedly behind the attack.
Some German investigators have linked the explosions to Ukraine, accusing a crew of Ukrainians of carrying out the sabotage, but did not say whether it was officially authorized by Kyiv. Ukraine has denied any involvement.
Sources told the WSJ that they believe the attack was launched from Poland, and said that the Polish government has been hesitant to provide information to investigators and withheld other evidence.
They also acknowledged that there was no concrete evidence connecting the Polish government or officials to the explosions but said that the perceived hesitance of Polish authorities to cooperate with the investigation was a source of suspicion.
Kate Tsurkan
(Updated: )
