rki.news
Warsaw, Sept. 30 — Polish authorities have detained a Ukrainian national suspected of involvement in the 2022 explosions that severely damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
The suspect, identified as 37-year-old professional diver Volodymyr Z, was arrested near Warsaw on a European arrest warrant issued by German prosecutors. He is accused of participating in dives that placed explosives on Nord Stream 1 and 2, which detonated on September 26, 2022, disrupting key gas links between Russia and Germany at the height of Europe’s energy crisis.
German prosecutors said the suspect “belonged to a group of individuals who carried out the sabotage operation,” and is strongly suspected of causing an explosion with explosives, sabotage, and destruction of property. His lawyer has vowed to challenge extradition to Germany, arguing that Gazprom, one of the pipeline’s owners, directly finances Russia’s war against Ukraine.
This is the second arrest connected to the blasts. In August, Italian authorities detained another Ukrainian, Serhii K, accused of coordinating the operation. His extradition to Germany is pending before Italy’s highest court of appeal.
Investigators believe the suspects were part of a team that rented a yacht named Andromeda in Germany using forged documents, and sailed to waters near Denmark’s Bornholm island to carry out the sabotage. German reports suggest up to seven people were involved, including former members of a private diving school in Kyiv.
While Germany, Denmark, and Sweden have conducted separate investigations, the latter two closed their inquiries earlier this year without identifying suspects. No direct evidence has yet linked Ukraine, Russia, or any state actor to the pipeline attack.