Italian police have arrested a Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions that severed Russia's main gas route to Germany. Serhiy K. was detained by Carabinieri on Wednesday evening in the Rimini area following a European arrest warrant issued on Monday.
German federal prosecutors believe the suspect played a leading coordination role in the sophisticated sabotage operation on September 26, 2022. He is thought to have been aboard the sailing yacht Andromeda from which the attacks were allegedly carried out, though investigators do not believe he was one of the divers who planted explosives.
The operation involved the chartered yacht Andromeda departing from the German port of Rostock to waters near the Danish island of Bornholm. The vessel was rented using forged identity documents through intermediaries from a German company, according to prosecutors.
Investigation breakthrough
This marks the first major arrest in one of Europe's most consequential sabotage cases. German authorities secured an initial arrest warrant against a suspected diver last year, but he escaped from Poland after authorities allegedly warned Ukrainian officials in advance.
The escaped suspect is believed to have driven into Ukraine in a car with diplomatic licence plates, according to Der Spiegel. Swedish and Danish investigations were closed in February 2024, leaving German authorities to continue their inquiries alone.
The case has been under investigation since 2022 by Germany's federal prosecutor's office, which intends to charge suspects with anti-constitutional sabotage and causing an explosion. The explosions damaged the pipelines apparently beyond repair, affecting critical European energy infrastructure.
Military operation claims
Extensive media investigations, particularly by Der Spiegel, revealed evidence suggesting the action had been sanctioned by the Ukrainian armed forces, although this has been denied by Kyiv. The commandos allegedly considered it an attack on a legitimate military target due to Russia's war on Ukraine, believing gas delivery profits contributed significantly to financing Moscow's war.
Russia initially accused the US of being behind the sabotage, while there were also suspicions of Russian involvement until investigators traced the yacht's connection to Ukraine. Both Washington and Moscow denied the allegations, as did Kyiv.
Separate maritime incident
In a separate incident on Thursday, the Georgian captain of an oil tanker that damaged undersea cables in the Baltic Sea in 2024 denied wrongdoing. Davit Vadatchkoria told Finnish public broadcaster YLE: "We are innocent. It's only a maritime accident."
Vadatchkoria faces charges in a Helsinki court on Monday over the slicing of power and telecommunications cables. The Eagle S oil tanker dragged along the sea bed for around 90 kilometres after departing from a Russian oil port.
Sources used: "PA Media", "The Guardian", "Daily Mail", "Independent" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
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