Ukrainian man wanted over Nord Stream pipelines explosions

By Rob Picheta, CNN

(CNN) — German authorities have issued an international arrest warrant for a Ukrainian man suspected of carrying out the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipeline two years ago.

The explosions left gas billowing from Nord Stream 1 and 2 – two major conduits that transported Russian gas to Europe – and prompted a huge operation to find who was responsible.

A spokeswoman for Poland’s Public Prosecutors Office, Anna Adamiak, confirmed Poland had received a warrant from Germany seeking the arrest of a Ukrainian man, named as Volodymyr Z. She added that he had left Poland and was not arrested because he was not on a database of wanted people.

The news comes after three German outlets reported that the man – described as a male diver – along with two other Ukrainian suspects, are believed by German federal prosecutors to have launched an audacious underwater attack on the pipeline from a sailing boat in September 2022.

After a joint investigation, German outlets ARD, Die Zeit and Süddeutsche Zeitung reported Wednesday that the arrest warrant for the man had been sent to Poland’s government to approve in June. Germany’s Federal Public Prosecutor General did not comment on the reports when contacted by CNN. Die Zeit reported that the man denied involvement when contacted by the outlet.

The origin of the explosions has been a subject of intense speculation and further stoked political tensions in Europe seven months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Neither of the pipelines were actively transporting gas to Europe at the time of the leaks, though they still held gas under pressure.

Investigators found evidence of explosives at the sites in November 2022, leading Swedish prosecutors to conclude that the blasts were caused by an act of sabotage.

According to the new German media reports, investigators in Germany believe that the sailing boat set sail from Rostock, Germany in September 2022, stopping in Denmark, Sweden and Poland, with a six-person crew including five men and one woman.

During that voyage, the crew is reportedly suspected of diving into the Baltic Sea and attaching explosives to the massive Nord Stream pipelines, which subsequently detonated and damaged both lines, according to the outlets.

Last year, three US officials told CNN that the US had received intelligence from a European ally that the Ukrainian military was planning an attack on the pipelines three months before they were hit.

The New York Times meanwhile reported in 2023 that intelligence reviewed by US officials suggested a group loyal to Ukraine, but acting independently of the government in Kyiv, were involved in the operation.

Ukraine’s government has always denied any involvement in the blasts.

The Nord Stream project had been controversial long before Russia invaded Ukraine. Several Western countries, among them Poland, raised fears it would increase Moscow’s influence over Europe.

Germany nonetheless championed the expensive multimillion dollar, 750-mile second pipeline, before eventually pulling the plug on the plans after Russia’s invasion, just as it was set to become operational.

Antonia Mortensen and Chris Stern contributed reporting.

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