Italian police have arrested a Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline attacks, Germany’s prosecutor general announced on Thursday, adding that he will be transferred to Germany to appear before a judge.
The explosions, which severely damaged pipelines carrying Russian gas to Europe near Denmark’s Bornholm island in September 2022, were widely condemned as sabotage. No group or state has ever claimed responsibility, but the incident deepened the Ukraine conflict and worsened Europe’s energy crisis.
The suspect, identified as Serhii K. under German privacy laws, allegedly belonged to a team that planted explosive devices on the pipelines. According to prosecutors, the group set sail from Rostock, Germany, using a rented yacht obtained through forged documents. He now faces charges including collusion to cause an explosion, sabotage, and destruction of property. Carabinieri police arrested him overnight in Italy’s Rimini province on the Adriatic coast.
