The German Prosecutor General's Office issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian instructor on diving, suspected of involvement in the explosions of the "Nord Stream" and "Nord Stream 2". This is reported by the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, citing a joint investigation with the TV channel ARD and the newspaper Die Zeit.
According to the publication, it is a citizen of Ukraine, an employee of a diving school Volodymyr Ts. Recently, as the newspaper notes, he lived in Poland. According to reports, he has already gone into hiding.
The German prosecutor's office, as the publication points out, suspects two more Ukrainian diving instructors of involvement in the Nord Stream bombing, including a woman. It is believed that all three may have been part of the crew of the sailing yacht "Andromeda" which is the focus of the German investigation.
Because the explosions took place in the exclusive economic zone of Sweden and Denmark, the two countries are investigating together with Germany. The conclusion of the Swedish investigation will not affect the investigation in Germany in any way, the media reports.
Three leaks in "Nordic Stream 1" and "Nord Stream 2" were detected within a few hours on September 26, 2022. The first of these was detected on "Nordic Stream 2" near the Danish island of Bornholm. Two Nord Stream leaks were then recorded. The Danish Energy Agency reported that a large amount of gas had entered the sea. Swedish seismologists later reported that they had recorded two explosions along the pipeline routes. A few days later, the Swedish Coast Guard discovered a fourth leak at the facilities.
The United States and NATO have called the September 2022 pipeline attacks an "act of sabotage". For its part, Moscow blamed the West and called on the UN Security Council to conduct an independent investigation. Neither side has provided evidence for their claims.
At the beginning of March last year, several Western newspapers reported that a certain "pro-Ukrainian group" may have been involved in the pipeline explosion. According to the media, NATO sought to prevent this information from becoming public, as it would lead to an escalation of relations between Ukraine and Germany.