Italian police arrested a Ukrainian national on Wednesday for his alleged role in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions that cut gas flow from Russia to Germany. German authorities confirmed the arrest and identified the suspect only as Serhiy K.
Officials stated that Serhiy K. was believed to have been on board the sailing yacht linked to the attack. According to Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office (GBA), Italian police, known as the Carabinieri, detained him near Rimini on Wednesday evening. The arrest followed a European warrant issued earlier this week.
The 2022 Pipeline Attack
The sabotage took place on September 26, 2022, when powerful blasts destroyed sections of the Nord Stream pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm. At the time, the pipelines were not in use, but the damage was permanent. Investigators suspected from the beginning that Ukrainian commandos were behind the operation.
How the Operation Was Carried Out
Authorities believe divers planted the explosives after traveling on a chartered yacht named Andromeda. The boat had sailed from the German port of Rostock toward the pipeline area near Bornholm.
Investigators say Serhiy K. was on the yacht but not among the divers. Instead, he is suspected of coordinating the mission. Prosecutors revealed that intermediaries helped rent the yacht using forged documents from a German company.
Ongoing Investigation in Germany
The GBA has been investigating the sabotage since 2022. Suspects, if charged, face accusations of anti-constitutional sabotage and causing an explosion.
German outlet Der Spiegel reported that people with knowledge of the mission claimed the attackers did not see it as a crime. Instead, they considered the pipelines a “legitimate military target” in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war. Spiegel’s findings also suggested the Ukrainian military may have approved the operation, though Kyiv has strongly denied involvement.
Conflicting Claims and International Reactions
German prosecutors have not yet announced when Serhiy K. could be extradited. Meanwhile, investigations by Sweden and Denmark ended in February 2024, leaving Germany to pursue the case alone.
The attack triggered global tensions. Russia accused the United States of organizing the sabotage, especially after Washington criticized Germany’s dependence on Russian gas. At first, investigators also suspected Russia’s involvement, but later evidence from the yacht pointed toward a Ukrainian link.
Kyiv, Washington, and Moscow have all denied any role in the incident.
Previous Suspect Escaped
This is not the first major breakthrough in the case. Last year, Germany’s federal prosecutor general, Jens Rommel, issued an arrest warrant for one of the suspected divers. However, the man evaded capture in Poland. Spiegel reported that Polish authorities may have alerted Ukraine, and the suspect allegedly drove into Ukraine using a car with diplomatic plates.