Germany issues arrest warrants for 6 Ukrainians in Nord Stream attack case – media
German law enforcement has identified all members of the group suspected of involvement in the 2022 explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, Tagesschau reported, citing a joint investigation by ARD, Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), and Die Zeit. The Federal Police, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), and the Federal Prosecutor's Office have issued arrest warrants for six Ukrainian citizens.
Another suspect is believed to have been killed while fighting against Russia.
The investigation remains in the pre-trial phase, and Germany's Federal Prosecutor has not yet filed charges. The presumption of innocence applies.
"According to investigators, the sabotage group consisted of seven people operating from the yacht Andromeda, rented in Rostock. The team included coordinator Serhiy K., four divers (one of them a woman from a Kyiv diving school), an explosives expert, and a yacht captain from Odesa. On board, they placed four bombs made of RDX and HMX, equipped with timers, which damaged three of the four Nord Stream pipeline strings," the report said.
One suspect – 49-year-old Serhiy K., believed to have led the operation – was detained in Italy last week. He had arrived there with his family, reportedly on vacation. According to Italian media, he denies the charges. His extradition to Germany has not yet been decided.
Another suspect, Vsevolod K., is believed to have been killed while serving in Ukrainian military units. His DNA, collected during training with the Bundeswehr in Wildflecken, matched samples found aboard the Andromeda.
"Part of the Andromeda crew, according to investigators, had direct links to Ukrainian intelligence services or the army. Whether this was an official Ukrainian operation has not been proven. It may have been a group of mercenaries, but certain facts point to close ties with the state and patriotic motives," the article said.
As reported, Italy's ANSA news agency previously noted that Ukrainian citizen Serhiy Kuznetsov, arrested in Italy on a European warrant from Germany over suspected involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream explosions, denied the charges in court, claiming he had been in Ukraine at the time of the blasts.