Italian police arrested a 49-year-old Ukrainian man in the early hours of Thursday morning, alleging his involvement in the 2022 underwater bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipelines that once connected Russia to Western Europe.
On Sept. 26, 2022, three pipes belonging to Nord Stream 1 and 2 exploded at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, roughly 300 km (186 miles) from the German seaport of Rostock.
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
According to AFP, German investigators believe the suspect – known only as Serhii K. – was part of a Ukrainian cell that planned and executed the sabotage plot.
Although allegedly aboard the yacht Andromeda, which the group reportedly used to transport themselves and the explosives from Rostock to the sabotage site, Serhii K. is not believed to have placed the explosives on the pipes. He is instead accused of coordinating the attack.
German media Spiegel previously reported that the group was made up of a combination of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians who viewed the Nord Stream pipelines as a “legitimate military target” in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Nord Stream, if functioning, would have enabled Russian gas to reach markets in Western Europe – prior to the full-scale invasion, Germany sourced half of its gas from Russia, as per Reuters.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied that he or his government had any knowledge of the attacks.
Ukraine Pushes to Secure Gas, Fuel Ahead of Winter
In July, a Ukrainian man suspected of being one of the divers who placed the explosive devices on the Nordstream pipelines escaped Poland before he could be arrested and extradited to Germany, according to Pravda.
As per AFP, German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig reiterated Germany’s commitment to stand with Ukraine against Russia’s “terrible war of aggression.”
But she added that Germany would “consistently investigate crimes that are committed under our jurisdiction.”
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter
