“The traces lead in one direction — to Ukraine,” the German magazine Der Spiegel and TV station ZDF said, citing official investigators and their own reporting. Der Spiegel is known for its investigative journalism, and the project was conducted in partnership with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).

German investigators have suspected that a six-person crew sailed a yacht to the Baltic Sea and plant explosives that detonated along the Nord Stream pipeline. While the report cited connections between the saboteurs and elements of the Ukrainian military, it also said that those involved in the operation “appear to have executed the attack without informing the Ukrainian leadership.”

[Could rogue amateurs have pulled this off, however? It’s also curious how this lets both Moscow and Kyiv off the hook for destroying European energy infrastructure. And for that matter, it lets Washington off the hook too. Let’s just say that this could be true, but it’s awfully … convenient. — Ed]