Germany issues arrest warrant for Ukrainian diver in Nord Stream investigation
Gas leak from Nord Stream 2 pipeline as seen from an Danish F-16 interceptor jet over Bornholm island, Denmark, September 27, 2022. (Photo by Ritzau Scanpix via Reuters)
German authorities have issued a European arrest warrant for a Ukrainian diving instructor suspected of involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions.
The arrest warrant, reported by three German media outlets on Wednesday, is part of an ongoing investigation into sabotage that significantly impacted Europe’s energy infrastructure.
Alleged involvement in Nord Stream explosions
The suspect, believed to have lived in Poland most recently, is accused of being part of a team that planted explosive devices on pipelines running from Russia to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea in September 2022.
German investigators, citing unnamed sources, allege that the man was one of the divers involved in the operation. The warrant was first reported by SZ and Die Zeit newspapers in conjunction with the ARD broadcaster.
International investigation efforts
Germany reportedly requested Poland to detain the suspect in June 2023. However, according to Spiegel news magazine, the suspect has since left Poland. Both the German Prosecutor General’s Office and the Polish National Public Prosecutor’s Office have declined to comment on the reports.
The German investigation has also identified another man and a woman, both Ukrainian diving instructors, as part of the probe into the Nord Stream explosions. However, no arrest warrants have been issued for them at this time.
Mystery surrounding Nord Stream blasts
The Nord Stream pipeline explosions destroyed three out of four pipelines, raising tensions between Russia and Western countries amid ongoing geopolitical conflicts. Both Russia and Western nations have accused each other of orchestrating the blasts, but no party has claimed responsibility, and the true perpetrators remain unidentified.
A Swedish investigation confirmed that the explosions were deliberate, discovering traces of explosives on objects recovered from the site.
In January 2023, German authorities raided a ship that may have been used to transport explosives, and they informed the United Nations that trained divers could have attached devices to the pipelines at depths of 70 to 80 meters.
