() – German authorities have issued an international arrest warrant for a Ukrainian suspected of carrying out the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipeline two years ago, Reuters reported, citing Polish prosecutors.
The explosions caused gas to leak from the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines – two of the main pipelines transporting Russian gas to Europe – and led to a major operation to find those responsible.
Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to Reuters that they received the arrest warrant for the suspect, but that he was able to leave Polish territory because German authorities had not included him in a database of wanted persons.
The news comes after three German media they will inform that the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office believes that the man, described as a diver, along with two other Ukrainian suspects launched an audacious underwater attack on the gas pipeline from a sailboat in September 2022.
After a joint investigation, the German media ARD, Die Zeit and Süddeutsche Zeitung reported this Wednesday that the arrest warrant against the man was sent to the Polish Government for approval in June. contacted Germany’s Attorney General’s Office, which had no comment. Die Zeit reported that the man denied involvement when contacted.
The origin of the explosions has been the subject of intense speculation and has further stoked political tensions in Europe seven months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. None of the pipelines were transporting gas to Europe at the time of the leaks, although they still contained pressurized gas.
The researchers found explosive tests at the locations in November 2022, leading Swedish prosecutors to conclude that the explosions were caused by an act of sabotage.
According to new German media reports, investigators in Germany believe that the sailboat set sail from Rostock, Germany, in September 2022, stopping in Denmark, Sweden and Poland, with a crew of six, including five men and one women.
During that trip, the crew is suspected of diving into the Baltic Sea and planting explosives on the massive Nord Stream gas pipelines, which subsequently detonated and damaged both lines, according to media.
Last year, three US officials told that the US had received information from a European ally that the Ukrainian military was planning an attack on the gas pipelines three months before they were damaged.
The New York Times, for its part, published in 2023 that intelligence information reviewed by US officials suggested that a group loyal to Ukraine, but acting independently of the Kyiv government, was involved in the operation.
The Ukrainian government has always denied any involvement in the explosions.
The Nord Stream project was controversial long before Russia invaded Ukraine. Several Western countries, including Poland, feared that Moscow’s influence over Europe would increase.
However, Germany defended the expensive, multibillion-dollar second 1,200 km gas pipeline before canceling the plans after the Russian invasion, just as it was about to come into operation.
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