Ukrainian citizen officially wanted by German authorities for bombing Nord Stream

In the case of sabotage on the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea almost two years ago, the Polish Prosecutor’s Office received a European arrest warrant from the Federal Prosecutor’s Office. This was confirmed to DPA by a spokesman for the Warsaw General Prosecutor’s Office. The arrest warrant seeks a Ukrainian suspect. This was first reported by “Die Zeit,” ARD, and the “Süddeutsche Zeitung.”

The Ukrainian, whose last place of residence was reportedly in Poland, is now in hiding. it would be a person by the name of “Wladimir S.” who lived in a quiet residential area in Pruszków, a suburb southwest of Warsaw, and who had a Ford Transit with Ukrainian license plates

The “Spiegel” reports that the man may have been warned of the arrest and has since left the country or is otherwise unaccounted for. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office could not immediately be reached for comment. The fact that someone warned him suggests that he enjoys governmental backing and that someone, therefore, does not want legal problems.

The two gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 were damaged and disrupted by multiple explosions on September 26, 2022. The explosions were recorded near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, and shortly afterward, four leaks were discovered in three of the four Nord Stream pipeline lines.

Russian natural gas previously flowed to Germany through Nord Stream 1. Nord Stream 2 was not yet operational due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the ensuing political disputes. Authorities in several countries began investigating the case. However, Denmark and Sweden have now halted the proceedings. For a long time, there were various speculations about the perpetrators, but for some time now, the investigation has turned toward some Ukrainian citizens who had rented a boat in Poland and used it as a support base.

Investigations in Denmark and Sweden led to results that were not made public before they were discontinued because they did not lead to indictment of citizens of those countries.