Poland on Wednesday received a European arrest warrant for a Ukrainian man believed to have been involved in the sabotage attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, a spokeswoman for the Polish public prosecutor’s office told dpa.
The warrant, issued by Germany, is the latest twist in a highly unusual case that has confounded observers for almost two years, since the two pipelines from Russia to Germany were targeted by unknown perpetrators in September 2022.
The suspect in the case is Volodymyr Z., a Ukrainian citizen who was is believed to have left his place of residence in Poland to return to Ukraine in July, the spokeswoman said.
He was not found during a search at his home in Poland, she said.
German newspapers Die Zeit and Süddeutsche Zeitung, along with public broadcaster ARD, reported earlier that Germany’s top public prosecutor had obtained a warrant for a Ukrainian man believed to be in Poland.
“We are not commenting on the media reports,” said a Justice Ministry spokeswoman in Berlin. The German public prosecutor’s office could not initially be reached for comment.
According to research by the three media outlets, two other Ukrainian nationals are suspected of involvement in the attacks, potentially as divers who could have planted explosive devices on the pipelines.
Volodymyr Z, they said, is also believed to be a diver.
The outlets said their report was based on “information from a foreign intelligence service.”
Speculation about what caused the incident and who was responsible has swirled for nearly two years.
The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were damaged by several explosions on September 26, 2022. The explosions were registered near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, and four leaks were discovered shortly afterwards in three of the four pipelines.
Russian natural gas previously flowed to Germany through Nord Stream 1. A second pipe, Nord Stream 2, was completed in 2021 but never came into operation due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Authorities in several countries began investigating the case, but Denmark and Sweden have since ended their probes.
Previous investigations had focussed on a sailing yacht on which traces of explosives were discovered in July 2023. It was suspected that the Andromeda may have been used to transport the explosives for the sabotage.
Germany: Support for Ukraine independent of investigation
Germany on Wednesday said its support for Ukraine would remain steadfast, whatever the results of the investigation.
Deputy government spokesman Wolfgang Büchner told journalists in Berlin that the investigations would not change “the fact that Russia is waging an illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.”
“The investigations are being conducted according to the law, regardless of the person and completely independently,” Büchner said.
The probe is a “top priority,” he added.
