In June, a European arrest warrant was requested for the man, whose last known address is in Poland, broadcaster ARD and newspapers Die Zeit and Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported. According to them, it is not yet clear why the Polish authorities could not arrest the suspect, and it is now believed that the man has fled.
German investigators believe the Ukrainian, identified only as Volodymyr Z., was one of the divers who planted the explosive devices on the Nord Stream pipelines, according to reports.
When contacted by the AFP news agency, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office declined to comment.
According to reports, German investigators have also identified two other Ukrainians, a man and a woman, who they believe acted as divers in the attacks. However, their arrest warrants have not yet been issued.
Poland also responded
Poland confirmed on Wednesday that it has received a German arrest warrant for a Ukrainian man suspected of sabotaging the Nord Stream gas pipeline in 2022.
The Polish prosecutor’s office told the AFP news agency that it received an arrest warrant for Volodymyr Z. in June related to “a case against him in Germany,” but the suspect left for Ukraine before he could be arrested.
In September 2022, four major gas leaks were observed in two Nord Stream gas pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm. Seismological institutes recorded two underwater explosions earlier. The pipelines have previously been at the center of geopolitical tensions after Russia cut off gas supplies to Europe in possible retaliation for Western sanctions imposed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Although the spills occurred in international waters, two of them were spotted in Denmark’s exclusive economic zone and another two in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone. The pipelines were not in service at the time of the leaks, but they still contained gas.
Investigations into the explosions were initiated by Denmark, Sweden and Germany. However, Denmark and Sweden completed their investigations earlier this year.
2024-08-15 23:10:14