A 40-year-old Ukrainian woman, Svetlana U., is under suspicion by German authorities for her alleged involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream gas pipeline explosion. Despite the allegations, Svetlana maintains that she was on vacation in Bulgaria at the time of the incident, according to Bulgarian National Television (BNT).
The German newspaper Die Zeit reported on Svetlana’s alibi, describing her as a petite woman with dark hair. Her social media activity portrays her as a staunch supporter of Ukraine, with posts highlighting fundraising efforts for military aid and calls for increased support for Ukrainian soldiers after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The explosion, which disrupted gas supplies to Germany, occurred in early September 2022 when a boat named Andromeda, reportedly rented using fake Romanian and Bulgarian passports, departed from the German Baltic Sea coast.
The vessel carried six individuals who were allegedly involved in planting explosives at a depth of 80 meters, causing a significant impact on European energy security. Recent investigations have suggested that the operation was carried out by a group of Ukrainian nationals.
Svetlana and her companion, Yevgeny U., have emerged as key suspects in the ongoing investigation. Die Zeit describes Yevgeny as a man with a youthful appearance, around 40 years old, with pale skin and thinning hair.
Yevgeny’s diving certifications, listed on a diving school website, include technical diving skills necessary for deep underwater operations, which have become a focal point of the investigation.
The suspected leader of the group, identified as Volodymyr Z., remains at large. German authorities have issued an arrest warrant for him, and Polish prosecutors confirmed that they received a European warrant for his arrest in June from Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office.
Volodymyr Z. was last known to reside near Warsaw, Poland, but he reportedly left the country in early July, returning to Ukraine. Polish authorities have criticized their German counterparts for not registering him as a wanted person in time, allowing him to evade capture.
Svetlana, however, denies any involvement in the attack. She claims that she was in Bulgaria during the critical period in September 2022. Her alibi, while under scrutiny, has not yet been disproven, and she has not been formally charged or arrested. Similarly, Yevgeny remains a suspect but has not been issued an arrest warrant either.
Despite the growing suspicion around her involvement, Svetlana’s social media remains active, continuing to express support for Ukraine. Her activities have fueled speculation about her possible connections to the explosive operation, but no conclusive evidence has been presented linking her directly to the attack.
The investigation into the Nord Stream explosion continues, with German authorities working closely with their European counterparts to identify and apprehend those responsible. Meanwhile, Svetlana U. and her companion Yevgeny remain under the shadow of suspicion, as the mystery surrounding the pipeline bombing persists.
As the investigation unfolds, it raises critical questions about the extent of Ukrainian involvement in the attack and the security of Europe’s vital energy infrastructure in an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape.