German investigators have identified and sought an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian diver who has allegedly played a role in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea two years ago, joint research by German media outlets Die Zeit, Süddeutscher Zeitung, and ARD showed on Wednesday.
The German authorities reportedly believe the person had helped plant explosives that later blew up the pipelines. Germany sent in June a European arrest warrant to Poland, where the suspect, a Ukrainian native identified only as Volodymyr Z., was believed to have lived.
Poland has received the arrest warrant but the suspect has left the country since then, and Germany did not include his name in a list of wanted persons, prosecutors from Poland told Reuters on Wednesday.
Gas leaks in each of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were discovered at the end of September 2022 from the infrastructure just outside Swedish and Danish territorial waters in the Baltic Sea.
Nord Stream 2 was never put into operation after Germany axed the certification process following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia, for its part, shut down Nord Stream 1 indefinitely in early September of 2022, claiming an inability to repair gas turbines because of the Western sanctions.
An investigation launched by the Swedish authorities concluded that the leaks were the result of detonations, likely the result of "serious sabotage".
However, Sweden's authorities concluded in February 2024 a preliminary investigation into the Nord Stream blasts, but found they lacked jurisdiction to continue, as the incident occurred in international waters and involved no Swedish nationals. Therefore, Sweden ended the probe in early February.
Denmark also ended its investigation the same month.
"The investigation has led the authorities to conclude that there was deliberate sabotage of the gas pipelines. However, the assessment is that there is not the sufficient grounds to pursue a criminal case in Denmark," the Danish police said at the time.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilpirce.com
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Comments
Circumstantial evidence suggest that culprit must have a motive, an economic benefit and a strategic objective. These three factors fit the United States like a hand in a glove.
Moreover, German Chancellor Olaf Shultz was standing next to President Biden at the White House when Biden told the Press that if Russian troops crossed into Ukraine, there won/t be Nord stream pipe lines anymore.
Dr Mamdouh G Salameh
International Oil Economist
Global Energy Expert