The involvement of Ukraine in the blowing up of Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 has not been established, the Prosecutor General’s Office has said.
"The Prosecutor General’s Office, within the framework of the investigation into criminal proceedings on the fact of Russia conducting an aggressive war against Ukraine and the enemy committing other unlawful actions against our state, has processed information regarding the blowing up of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines," the agency said in a statement on its Telegram channel on Thursday.
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, within the scope of these proceedings, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are conducting the necessary investigative and other procedural actions, in particular interviewing witnesses and obtaining information relevant to establishing the circumstances of the event.
"Based on the results of the work already carried out and the information received, at this time, no facts have been established that would indicate the involvement of the state of Ukraine, its authorized bodies or officials in the commission of these illegal actions, or the issuance by them on behalf of Ukraine of any orders, assignments, directives or instructions regarding the blowing up of the specified gas pipelines," the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office said.
At the same time, as the department emphasizes, the investigation into these circumstances is not yet complete, and the collection and examination of necessary evidence are ongoing.
"The Prosecutor General’s Office has taken note of the announcement by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office of Germany regarding the referral of the indictment in the case concerning the blowing up of Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2," the prosecutor’s office notes.
At the same time, the Prosecutor General’s Office emphasizes that the filing of charges is a procedural decision of the prosecution side and does not constitute a determination of a person’s guilt or a final assessment of the circumstances of the criminal proceedings.
"The guilt of a person in committing a crime is confirmed exclusively by a court verdict that has entered into force, rendered based on the results of a comprehensive examination of all obtained evidence in compliance with the rights and procedural guarantees of all participants in criminal proceedings," the statement emphasizes.
According to the statement, the Ukrainian side continues to cooperate with the relevant German authorities.
"In particular, within the framework of executing a request from the latter, the necessary investigative and procedural actions are being carried out. The relevant authorities of Germany will be immediately informed about the results of their implementation. Ukraine is ready to help establish all the true circumstances," the department said.
In addition, as specified by the prosecutor’s office, information on the fact of the blowing up of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines has been entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations.
"Within the framework of the specified criminal proceedings, a request will be sent to the relevant authorities of Germany to create a joint investigation team for the purpose of rapid information exchange," the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office notes.
