A Ukrainian man was arrested in Italy over the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, German prosecutors said Thursday.
The man, identified as Serhii K., is accused of being part of a group that “placed explosive devices on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines,” prosecutors said. He is “believed to have been one of the coordinators of the operation.”
The Nord Stream pipelines, which connect Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea, were damaged by large underwater explosions in September 2022 in what investigators have described as sabotage. Both Ukraine and Russia have repeatedly denied any involvement.
German media reports suggest the investigation points to a Ukrainian cell of five men and one woman who chartered the yacht Andromeda from Rostock and carried out the attack. The alleged motive was to prevent Russia from profiting from future gas sales to Europe, according to Der Spiegel and other outlets.
Serhii K. was arrested early Thursday in the Italian province of Rimini, prosecutors said. Authorities allege the yacht used in the attack had been rented through forged identity documents obtained via intermediaries.
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