Exclusive: German Authorities Issue European Arrest Warrant for Suspect in Nord Stream Pipeline Sabotage
Germany has taken a significant step in the investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines by issuing a European arrest warrant against a Ukrainian diving instructor suspected to be involved in the incident. The suspect, believed to have planted explosives on the pipelines running from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, is currently at large after being last seen in Poland. The German prosecutor general's office has not confirmed the reports, but Germany had previously requested Poland to arrest the suspect.
While two other Ukrainian diving instructors have been identified in the investigation, no arrest warrants have been issued for them yet. The explosions that destroyed three out of four pipelines in September 2022 have been a contentious issue, with Russia and the West trading accusations over the incident. A Swedish probe confirmed the deliberate nature of the explosions by finding traces of explosives on recovered objects from the site.
In January 2023, Germany conducted a raid on a ship suspected of being involved in transporting explosives and informed the United Nations that trained divers could have attached devices to the pipelines at a depth of 70 to 80 meters. The motive behind the sabotage and the identities of those responsible remain unclear, adding to the complexity of the case.