Germany issues an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian diver in the Nord Stream investigation, Reuters reports

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany has issued a European arrest warrant for a Ukrainian diving instructor who was allegedly part of a team that blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines, according to a report by three German media outlets on Wednesday.

German investigators believe the man, who was last known to have lived in Poland, was one of the divers who planted explosive devices on pipelines running from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea in September 2022, SZ and Die newspapers reported Zeit with the ARD station. citing unnamed sources.

The German public prosecutor’s office declined to comment on the report.

Germany asked Poland in June to arrest the man, the report said.

The Polish National Prosecutor’s Office had no immediate comment on the matter.

On Wednesday, the Spiegel news magazine reported that the suspect is believed to have since left Poland, citing security sources.

Another man and woman – also Ukrainian diving instructors – have been identified in Germany’s investigation into the alleged sabotage, but no arrest warrants have been issued for them so far, according to SZ, Zeit and ARD.

It remains a mystery who was behind the explosions that destroyed three of four pipelines, which have become a controversial symbol of Germany’s dependence on Russian gas following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia and the West have accused each other of being behind the blasts. Each has denied involvement and no one has claimed responsibility.

A Swedish probe found traces of explosives on several items recovered from the blast site, confirming that the explosions were deliberate acts.

In January 2023, Germany attacked a ship it said could have been used to carry explosives and told the United Nations it believed trained divers could have attached devices to pipes about 70 to 80 meters deep.