Investigators search for Ukrainian scuba instructor
Nearly two years ago, the Nord Stream pipelines were blown up at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. While Sweden and Denmark have already discontinued their investigations, the Federal Prosecutor's Office remains active and is searching for a suspected Ukrainian diving instructor via an arrest warrant.
A Ukrainian diving instructor who last lived in Poland is suspected of being one of the perpetrators of the attack on the two Nord Stream pipelines. According to information from ARD, "Süddeutsche Zeitung," and "Die Zeit," the Federal Prosecutor General applied for a European arrest warrant against the man in June. The Polish Prosecutor General's Office confirmed that it had received a corresponding arrest warrant.
However, the Polish authorities have so far been unable to arrest the man, who seems to have gone into hiding. According to the report, the investigators were able to identify the diving instructor, among other things, through a speed camera photo. This showed him on his way to Rügen, where the yacht "Andromeda" was anchored, which is believed to have been used for the attack.
The man is said to have been one of the divers who placed explosive devices on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, according to the German investigators. In a phone call with the media, the Ukrainian expressed surprise at the accusation and denied having been involved in the attacks on Nord Stream.
Further suspects identified
The German investigators have apparently also succeeded in identifying a further man and a woman, both Ukrainians, who are also said to have been involved in the attacks. They are also professional divers. However, there is no arrest warrant against them yet. The evidence apparently does not yet suffice for this.
The pipelines in the Baltic Sea were blown up at the end of September 2022 - three out of four strings of the pipelines were destroyed in the process. Russian natural gas had previously flowed through Nord Stream 1 for years. Nord Stream 2 had not yet been put into operation due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the subsequent political disputes. The investigations in Germany are being conducted by the Federal Police and the Federal Criminal Police Office on behalf of the Federal Prosecutor General.
The investigators had initially identified the sailing ship that was allegedly used by the sabotage team and largely reconstructed the route. It remains unclear who could have commissioned the attack.
The investigation into the Nord Stream pipeline explosions by the Federal Prosecutor's Office involves a suspected Ukrainian diving instructor, as they have issued an arrest warrant through the European Union. The German investigators also suspect two additional Ukrainian divers, both professionals, of involvement in the attacks, but currently lack sufficient evidence for an arrest warrant.
