German authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian national in connection with the explosion that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines two years ago, raising further questions about Ukraine’s potential involvement in the incident.
The suspect, identified by German media only as “Volodymyr Z,” resided in Poland at the time but fled to Ukraine before authorities could execute the arrest warrant in early July. He had previously lived in the town of Pruszkow near Warsaw, Poland.
Volodymyr Z is alleged to have been part of a six-person diving team of experienced Ukrainians who, in September 2022, rented a German yacht to sail over the Nord Stream pipeline and planted explosives that damaged sections of the pipelines.
The pipelines were condemned by Western nations as a national security threat, as they facilitated Russia’s gas sales to Europe despite sanctions imposed following the invasion of Ukraine.
The underwater detonations on the Nord Stream pipelines, built to transport Russian natural gas to Germany, occurred in international waters but within Swedish and Danish economic zones. Sweden previously stated that a state actor was the most likely culprit.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the plan took four months to enact and cost around $300,000. The group included a female diver to disguise their activities as a pleasure cruise.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy initially supported the plan but attempted to halt it after the CIA became aware and requested its cancellation. The WSJ reported that Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhniy disregarded the order and proceeded with the plan.
Four senior Ukrainian defense and security officials told the outlet that the pipelines were considered a legitimate target in the war. Zaluzhniy denied these claims, stating he had no knowledge of the operation and labeling such reports as “mere provocation.”
German intelligence officers expressed concerns that, despite these reports, it is plausible that this could be a Russian “false flag operation” intended to conceal the country’s involvement in self-sabotage, which could justify their ongoing invasion of Ukraine, citing the German publication Welt am Sonntag.
Politico reported that Polish security agents support this theory and sent a document containing names of Russian suspects to Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service, but German authorities remained convinced of Ukrainian responsibility.
German media named two other suspects: Svitlana and Yevhen Uspenska, a married couple who operate a diving school in Ukraine. They denied involvement, with Svitlana Uspenska claiming she was in Kyiv at the time of the incident.
Germany, Denmark, and Sweden all launched investigations into the incident, but Sweden and Denmark closed their investigations earlier this year.
Sweden discovered traces of explosives on several objects recovered from the site, confirming the incident was indeed an act of sabotage. However, the Swedes and Danes determined that they lacked “sufficient grounds” to pursue a criminal case.
Denmark’s decision to close the investigation was anticipated, as stated by Kenneth Øhlenschlæger Buhl of the Royal Danish Defense College to The Associated Press.
“The Swedes said they had a fairly good idea of who was behind it but have no jurisdiction over those they wanted to talk to,” Øhlenschlæger Buhl explained. The Danes are saying “the same, just slightly different words.”
U.S. intelligence in 2023 suggested that a pro-Ukrainian group was behind the attack, and then-National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed that the U.S. believed “it was an act of sabotage” while emphasizing that the U.S. was not involved.
Neither the U.S. State Department nor the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry responded to a Digital request for comment by the time of publication.
Digital’s Louis Casiano and