Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded to renewed speculation about the individuals behind the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022, urging the project’s backers to “apologize and stay silent.” This comes after one of his aides dismissed allegations suggesting Warsaw played a role in the sabotage. The Wall Street Journal indicated last week that Ukrainian authorities were responsible for the explosion that targeted Nord Stream 1 and 2 in September 2022, causing Germany to lose a vital energy supply and exacerbating Europe’s energy crisis. Germany had collaborated with Russia on the pipeline project, which Poland has consistently criticized for compromising its security interests.
Tusk’s statement seemed to be in direct response to remarks made by former head of Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, August Hanning, who implied that Poland may have been involved in the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines. Hanning did not provide any proof to support his assertion. Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski firmly rejected claims that Poland and Ukraine were behind the destruction of the gas pipelines during an interview on Friday, labeling the allegations as “Moscow-inspired disinformation” aimed at unsettling NATO countries.
Polish prosecutors confirmed on Wednesday that they had obtained an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian suspect wanted by Germany in connection with the pipeline attack, but the individual had already left Poland before being apprehended. The Nord Stream project, comprised of two pipelines constructed to transport gas from Russia to Europe via the Baltic Sea, proceeded despite objections from Poland, the U.S., and Ukraine. This initiative allowed Russia to deliver gas directly to Western Europe, circumventing Poland and Ukraine. Both Warsaw and Kyiv were concerned about losing substantial revenue from transit fees and the political influence associated with managing gas transit.
The Wall Street Journal cited testimonies from four senior Ukrainian defense and security officials who claimed to have been involved in or were aware of the operation. They asserted that targeting the pipelines was a legitimate defensive measure against Russia. Ukrainian authorities have refuted these allegations. Nord Stream 1 became operational in 2011, while Nord Stream 2 was completed in the autumn of 2021 but was never activated due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.