Second Ukrainian Diver Arrested in Connection With Nord Stream Attack
A Ukrainian diver who is wanted in connection with the Nord Stream attack has been found and arrested in Poland, according to German prosecutors.
Investigators in Germany believe that the suspect - named only as Volodymyr Z. - played a role in the sophisticated attack on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 systems on the bottom of the Baltic. The 2022 subsea sabotage operation destroyed three out of four pipelines in the network, reducing the possibility of rebooting Russian gas shipments to Germany over the subsea system, which had a combined capacity of 110 billion cubic meters per year. Inexpensive Russian gas played a key role in Germany's economic competitiveness prior to the full-scale invasion, and the physical damage ensured that the flow would not be easily renewed - even if German leaders were ever tempted to return to affordable and convenient Russian suppliers.
Multiple independent media investigations pointed towards Ukrainian involvement, and American national security officials quietly told reporters that they were aware of a Ukrainian plan to stage an attack. Sweden and Denmark closed their investigations into the blast in early 2024 without publishing a conclusion, leaving Germany as the sole nation with an active inquiry.
In August 2024, Polish security sources told media that they had received a German request to arrest a Ukrainian diver, Volodymyr Z., in connection with the blasts - but the man disappeared before he could be arrested, the Warsaw prosecutor's office told the New York Times.
One year later, Volodymyr Z. has now been detained in a town not far from Warsaw. Germany seeks his extradition to stand trial on charges of sabotage; he is accused of joining the dive operation to place explosives on the lines. Prosecutors believe that the small team rented a sailing vessel from a German company and departed from Rostock, completing their dive operation from this unconventional platform.
The suspect's lawyer, Tymoteusz Paprocki, has confirmed the arrest and detailed his plans to fight extradition to Germany. Paprocki told Polish station TVN24 that the charges were invalid, as the pipelines' proceeds would have funded the ongoing invasion of Ukraine (if activated).
Volodymyr Z. is the second Ukrainian national arrested in connection with the sabotage attack. In late August, Italian police detained Ukrainian military veteran Serhii Kuznietsov in the resort town of Rimini, acting on a warrant issued by German prosecutors. Kuznietsov's extradition has been authorized by an Italian court, but his lawyer is appealing the decision. If he stands trial in Germany, Kuznietsov faces charges of anti-constitutional sabotage, destroying infrastructure and causing an explosion.