Ukrainian arrested in Italy for allegedly blowing up Nord Stream gas pipelines

A Ukrainian man was arrested in Italy on Thursday for allegedly blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022, according to German prosecutors.

The Ukrainian, identified only as Serhii K., was arrested in the Italian province of Rimini and was allegedly part of a group that planted explosives under the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which went from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, German federal prosecutors said, the BBC reported.

Serhii is suspected of being one of the masterminds behind the operation. German prosecutors said he was part of a team that had chartered a yacht and sailed from the German port of Rostock to an area of the Baltic near the Danish island of Bornholm.

The pipeline explosions occurred on Sept. 26, 2022. No one has taken credit for the attack, and Ukraine has denied involvement.

Shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine, Germany canceled its approval process for Nord Stream 2, which was completely owned by Russian gas giant Gazprom. 

However, Nord Stream 1's two pipelines had been providing a steady supply across 745 miles from the Russian coast to northeastern Germany. Russia shut down Nord Stream 1 just months after Germany canceled the Nord Stream 2 approval process.

Nord Stream 1 was a key source of natural gas for Europe as the continent faced an energy crisis caused by the Russia-Ukraine war.

German prosecutors said that Serhii will be brought before an investigating judge after his extradition from Italy. They said that Serhii was "strongly suspected of jointly causing an explosion and of sabotage undermining the constitution."

German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig called the arrest “a very impressive investigative success,” The according to the Associated Press. She said that the cause of the explosions must be cleared up, “so it is good that we are making progress.”

Last August, German prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for a diver named Volodymyr Z.

Thus far, there is no evidence linking Ukraine, Russia, or any other state to the attacks.