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A Ukrainian citizen suspected of coordinating the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines has been arrested in Italy, German prosecutors announced Thursday, marking the first arrest in one of the most audacious acts of sabotage in recent history.
The suspect, identified as Serhii K. under German privacy laws, was apprehended near the northern Italian city of Rimini on a European arrest warrant issued by Germany, the Federal Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.
"Serhii K. was part of a group of individuals who placed explosive devices on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines near the island of Bornholm in September 2022," prosecutors said.
According to German investigators, the 49-year-old Ukrainian served as a coordinator in the operation rather than being one of the operatives who physically attached the explosive devices.
The suspect was among those aboard the yacht Andromeda, which investigators believe was used as the operational base for the sabotage mission, according to Der Spiegel news magazine, which first reported the arrest.
German prosecutors said Serhii K. and his accomplices set off from Rostock on Germany's northeastern coast in a sailing yacht to carry out the attack. The vessel had been rented from a German company with the help of forged identity documents via middlemen.
The Ukrainian citizen faces charges of collusion to cause an explosion, anti-constitutional sabotage and destruction of important structures. He will be brought before the investigating judge of the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe after his transfer from Italy.
Italian Carabinieri officers arrested him overnight in the province of Rimini on Italy's Adriatic coast, confirming the detention but providing no further details.
The September 2022 sabotage severely damaged three of the four Nord Stream pipelines carrying Russian gas to Europe, rendering them unusable. The explosions occurred near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, prompting a major escalation in the Ukraine conflict and squeezing energy supplies across the continent.
Prior to the war, Germany was Gazprom's biggest customer in Europe, and the Nord Stream project connecting Germany directly to Russia had been a brainchild of former chancellor Gerhard Schroder.
A German investigation concluded in 2023 that a pro-Ukrainian group was behind the sabotage. According to reports, the team consisted of two divers, two assistants, a captain, and a medic who allegedly entered Germany using forged travel documents.
Denmark and Sweden closed their investigations in February 2024, leaving Germany as the only country continuing to pursue the case. Danish authorities concluded there was "deliberate sabotage of the gas pipelines" but found "insufficient grounds to pursue a criminal case," while Sweden closed its investigation citing a lack of jurisdiction.
In January 2023, investigators searched the 15-meter-long yacht Andromeda in northeast Germany, which had been chartered around the time of the explosions. Officials found traces of octogen, the same explosive discovered at the underwater blast sites.
German media reported that authorities had previously issued a European arrest warrant against another Ukrainian diving instructor, Volodymyr Z., suspected to be the ringleader of the attacks who was living in Poland. Polish authorities failed to arrest him, allowing him to flee to his home country.
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The Ukrainian government has repeatedly denied any involvement in the Nord Stream sabotage. An official in the Ukrainian president's office said he could not comment as it was not clear who had been arrested, reiterating Ukraine's denial of any role in the blasts.
Both the United States and Russia have also denied involvement in the attacks. Moscow, without providing evidence, blamed Western sabotage for the blasts.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the plan was initially approved by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but that he later ordered a halt after a warning from the CIA. However, the newspaper said Zelenskyy's then commander-in-chief, Valeriy Zaluzhnyy, forged ahead and gave the green light for the operation. Zaluzhnyy, currently the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.K., has denied involvement.
"The bombing of the pipelines must be investigated, including through criminal prosecution. Therefore, it is good that we are making progress in this regard," said German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig in a statement.
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