Italian authorities have arrested a Ukrainian individual on suspicion of orchestrating the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. Identified only as Serhii K, the suspect was apprehended in Rimini and is believed to have played a significant role in the operation that targeted these crucial conduits for natural gas from Russia to Germany.
These blasts occurred in September 2022, amidst an escalating energy crisis in Europe due to the geopolitical tensions following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The federal prosecutors in Germany state that Serhii K was part of a team that used a rented yacht to navigate from the German port of Rostock to an area near the Danish island of Bornholm, where the pipelines were bombed.
Nord Stream 1 had been an important supplier of natural gas, spanning 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) under the Baltic Sea to northeastern Germany. Although the second pipeline, Nord Stream 2, was never operational, it was fully owned by Russian state-controlled Gazprom. The energy supply from Nord Stream 1 ceased after Russian authorities shut it down amidst rising tensions and boycotts from Western nations.
The explosions on September 26, 2022, ruptured three out of the four pipelines, leading to widespread speculation about the identity of the saboteurs. While Russian officials have blamed the US and UK for the attacks, Western nations have pointed fingers at Russia itself. Reports from Germany have hinted that a group of Ukrainian divers may have rented a yacht to carry out the operation.
German authorities had issued an arrest warrant for another suspect, a diver named Volodymyr Z, last year. Meanwhile, the Italian judiciary is preparing to extradite Serhii K for prosecution, as German federal authorities emphasize that he is "strongly suspected of jointly causing an explosion and of sabotage undermining the constitution." Investigations continue, yet no definitive links to Ukraine, Russia, or other states have been confirmed regarding the sabotage of the pipelines.
