Italian Authorities Arrest Ukrainian National Linked to Nord Stream Pipeline Sabotage
BERLIN – Italian authorities have arrested a Ukrainian national on suspicion of being one of the plotters behind the sabotage of the now-defunct Nord Stream pipelines. The controversial structure was transporting natural gas from Russia to Germany but was damaged by several explosions on 26 September 2022, which German authorities have linked to Ukrainian suspects, reports 24brussels.
On Wednesday night, Italian police apprehended a man identified as Serhii K in the province of Rimini, as announced by Germany’s federal prosecutor today, marking the first known arrest in the case. The suspect is accused of being one of the coordinators behind the operation. German authorities allege that he was on board a yacht chartered in Rostock, Germany, intended to reach the pipelines for the installation of explosives.
K faces charges related to anti-constitutional sabotage, causing an explosive blast, and destruction of buildings. He is expected to be extradited to Germany.
Investigations into the attack have been initiated by authorities across several nations, though Denmark and Sweden have since closed their inquiries. The first arrest warrant in this investigation was issued by German authorities in June last year for a Ukrainian man named Volodymyr Z, while two other Ukrainians were also considered suspects. Volodymyr Z remains at large and has denied the charges, according to media reports.
The Nord Stream pipelines have faced longstanding criticism for amplifying Germany’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels, granting Moscow significant leverage over Europe’s energy security. Such concerns were validated when Russian operators ultimately ceased gas flow through the pipeline after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The first segment of the structure, the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, had been operational since 2011. The Nord Stream 2 project, completed in 2021, was never utilized after its certification was suspended following the Russian invasion.
