German authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian national suspected of involvement in the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, according to reports from German news outlets ARD, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and Die Zeit on 14 August 2024, DW reported.
The suspect, identified only as “Volodymyr Z.” for privacy reasons, is a Ukrainian diving instructor believed to have acted with two accomplices in the attack on the pipelines running from Russia to Germany in the Baltic Sea. German authorities allege that Volodymyr Z. directed the driver of the German-flagged yacht Andromeda to the location of the pipeline, where two of the three suspects donned diving gear and went underwater.
The suspect was last known to be living in Poland, but Polish authorities reported they could not act on the warrant as he had already left the country. A spokeswoman for the Polish public prosecutor’s office stated that the suspect is believed to have fled to Ukraine.
According to the German investigation, a white van suspected of transporting diving material was caught on a traffic camera on the northern German island of Rügen in September 2022, with a passenger “strongly resembling Z.”
The news outlets reported that their findings were based on “information from a foreign intelligence service,” not specifying a particular country of origin of the information. A German court reportedly issued the arrest warrant for Volodymyr Z. in June.
Russian gas as economic warfare
The Nord Stream pipelines, designed to transport Russian natural gas directly to Germany, became tools of geopolitical leverage, enabling Russia to exert significant influence over Europe. Russia’s strategy has long involved using energy supplies as a form of warfare, manipulating gas flows to exert pressure on Europe, particularly during times of political tension.
Germany, heavily dependent on Russian gas due to long-standing energy policies, faced significant challenges in breaking this dependency. However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and subsequent European efforts led to a decisive break, with Germany drastically reducing its reliance on Russian gas and seeking alternative energy sources. The sabotage on the Nord Stream played a role in this strategic shift.
Related:
- Tanker that headed to Russia may be related to explosions at Nord Stream pipelines – Insider
- Ukrainian government not involved in last year’s sabotage of Nord Stream pipelines – Defense Minister
- Idea that Ukraine involved in Nord Stream 2 blast “idiocy” – Ukraine’s Defense Minister
- Pro-Ukrainian group may be responsible for attack on Nord Stream – NYT
- Swedish prosecutor confirms Nord Stream blasts were sabotage: traces of explosives found
- Three pipes of both Nord Stream gas pipelines may become unusable – Tagesspiegel citing sources
- Gazprom turns off Nord Stream gas pipeline hours after G7 countries put a cap on price of Russia’s oil
