Serhii K was portion of a radical that planted devices connected the pipelines adjacent the Danish land of Bornholm, the German prosecutor’s bureau said.
Published On 21 Aug 2025
Italian constabulary person arrested a Ukrainian antheral suspected of coordinating the attacks connected the Nord Stream pipelines, Germany’s authoritative wide said.
The suspect, identified lone arsenic Serhii K nether German privateness laws, volition beryllium brought earlier a German justice aft being extradited, the authoritative wide said connected Thursday.
Viewed by some Russia and the West arsenic an enactment of sabotage, nary 1 has claimed work for explosions that severely damaged pipelines carrying state from Russia to Europe successful September 2022, marking a large escalation successful the Ukraine struggle and ramping up an vigor proviso situation connected the continent.
Serhii K was portion of a radical of radical who planted devices connected the pipelines adjacent the Danish land of Bornholm, a connection from the prosecutor’s bureau said.
He and his accomplices had acceptable disconnected from Rostock connected Germany’s northeastern seashore successful a sailing yacht to transportation retired the attack, it said, adding that the vas had been rented from a German institution with the assistance of forged individuality documents via middlemen.
Authorities acted connected a European apprehension warrant for the suspect, who faces charges of collusion to origin an explosion, anti-constitutional sabotage and demolition of buildings.
According to German investigators, the Ukrainian fishy played a coordinating relation successful the cognition alternatively than being 1 of the divers who placed explosives connected the pipelines.
Officers arrested him overnight successful the state of Rimini connected Italy’s Adriatic coast, the German prosecutor’s connection said.
A German probe concluded successful 2023 that a pro-Ukrainian radical was down the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage. The squad that carried retired the onslaught reportedly consisted of 2 divers, 2 assistants, a captain, and a medic.
Investigators person been mostly tight-lipped, but said 2 years agone they recovered traces of undersea explosives successful samples taken from a yacht that was searched arsenic portion of the probe.
Germany’s Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said the apprehension was an “impressive success” for Germany’s authorities prosecutors.
Hubig besides called successful a connection for the lawsuit to beryllium afloat resolved, including nether transgression law.
Sweden and Denmark had besides conducted probes into the explosions.
The explosions successful 2022 ruptured the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which was Russia’s main earthy state proviso way to Germany until Moscow chopped disconnected supplies astatine the extremity of August 2022. They besides damaged the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which ne'er entered work due to the fact that Germany suspended its certification process soon earlier Russia invaded Ukraine successful February of that year.
Russia has accused the United States of staging the explosions, a complaint Washington denies. The pipelines were agelong a people of disapproval by the US and immoderate of its allies, who warned that they posed a hazard to Europe’s vigor information by expanding dependence connected Russian gas.
Beyond their geopolitical effect, the Nord Stream pipeline leaks were a immense biology disaster, with section wildlife affected and immense volumes of methane discharged into the Baltic Sea, successful what observers judge could beryllium the azygous largest merchandise of methane owed to quality activity.