Polish authorities have arrested a Ukrainian national suspected of involvement in a series of blasts that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines beneath the Baltic Sea, SİA reports.
The individual, identified as Volodymyr Z, a trained diver, was apprehended near Warsaw under a European arrest warrant, German prosecutors confirmed. The explosions, which occurred months into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, ruptured three of the four pipelines connecting Russia to Germany.
The attacks remain shrouded in mystery, with no party claiming responsibility. Ukraine has denied any involvement, while Western officials have scrutinized Russia, and Moscow has pointed fingers at the US and UK. The blasts disrupted a key natural gas supply to Europe, though Nord Stream 2 never became operational, and Nord Stream 1 had already been suspended by Russia.
German investigators had issued an arrest warrant for Volodymyr Z in August 2024, noting he was a diving instructor residing near Warsaw, but authorities had struggled to locate him. He is not the first suspect detained in the case; another Ukrainian national, Serhii K, was apprehended in Italy last month.
German prosecutors stated that the detained man “was part of a group that placed explosive devices on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines,” which detonated in September 2022. He is suspected of participating in the dives necessary to plant the devices and faces charges including conspiracy to cause explosions, anti-constitutional sabotage, and destruction of property.
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