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Ukrainian Man Arrested in Poland in Nord Stream Pipeline Sabotage Investigation
A Ukrainian national suspected of involvement in the 2022 undersea explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany has been arrested in Poland, according to a spokesperson for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw.
The suspect, identified as Volodymyr Z., was apprehended in Pruszkow, central Poland, a detail first reported by Polish radio station RMF FM. He has since been transferred to prosecutors in Warsaw. His full name was not released due to privacy regulations.
Piotr Antoni Skiba, a spokesperson for the Warsaw prosecutor’s office, confirmed that the arrest was made based on a European arrest warrant issued by German authorities. Tymoteusz Paprocki, the suspect’s lawyer, also corroborated the arrest, stating to local broadcaster TVN24 that his client was detained “as a result of a European Arrest Warrant, which was issued by the German side and pertains to matters related to Nord Stream 2.”
This development follows the arrest of another Ukrainian man in Italy last month, also in connection with the sabotage of the undersea pipelines, which were constructed to transport Russian natural gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea.
Mr. Paprocki indicated that the defense plans to challenge his client’s extradition from Poland.
Speaking to RMF FM, he argued, “Taking into consideration the full-scale war in Ukraine and the fact that Nord Stream is owned by the Russian company Gazprom, which finances these activities, the defense currently does not see any possibility of pressing charges against anyone who participated in these events.” The lawyer added that it remains uncertain whether his client was directly involved in the sabotage and that he awaits official information regarding the specific charges from the German justice system.
Germany’s federal prosecutor has not yet issued a statement on the matter.
The undersea explosions on September 26, 2022, severely damaged the Nord Stream pipelines, intensifying tensions during the ongoing war in Ukraine and at a time when European nations were actively working to reduce their reliance on Russian energy sources. According to RMF FM, German authorities allege that Volodymyr Z. is a diving instructor who, in September 2022, sailed to the Baltic Sea on a yacht, from which he reportedly dove underwater to place explosives on the pipeline.