A Ukrainian citizen, whose last known address was in Poland, is wanted by German authorities on charges of sabotaging the Nord Stream gas pipeline in 2022. He is believed to have acted with two accomplices.
According to German news agencies ARD, Süddeutsche Zeitung and Die Zeit, German authorities on August 14 issued an arrest warrant for Volodymyr Z., a Ukrainian diving instructor, in connection with explosions nearly two years ago that damaged a Russian gas pipeline across the Baltic Sea to Western Europe.
The suspect is believed to have acted with at least two other people, also believed to be Ukrainian citizens, according to an investigation released on August 14. The suspect, Volodymyr Z., was most recently reported to have lived in Poland, but Polish authorities said they could not act on the German warrant because he had left the country.
This is the first arrest warrant issued in connection with the explosions, which remain an unsolved mystery.
Mysterious explosion
Before the sabotage, the operational Nord Stream 1 pipeline and the never-operational Nord Stream 2 were the main pipeline routes in the Baltic Sea for transporting Russian gas into Europe with a landing point in Germany.
In this photo provided by the Swedish Coast Guard, gas escapes from a leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea, September 2022. Photo: Getty Images
The use of these pipelines has always been controversial because of their role in making the EU dependent on Russian energy, and has become even more controversial since Moscow launched a special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.
On September 26, 2022, several explosions were detected along the aforementioned twin pipelines, resulting in a gas leak. Germany, Denmark, and Sweden all opened investigations into the incident, but the Danish and Swedish investigations were closed without identifying a suspect.
The explosions have attracted worldwide media attention, fueling speculation about who was responsible. Russia and the West have accused each other of being behind the blasts. Suspicions were immediately raised that Ukrainians were involved, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has steadfastly denied his government was involved.
German investigation
According to German authorities, Volodymyr Z. and two others approached the driver of the German-flagged yacht Andromeda, anchored at the northern island of Rügen.
ARD reported that Volodymyr Z. gave the man directions to the pipeline location, and two of the three suspects donned diving suits and dove into the water.
The yachtsman is said to have identified Z. from a series of photos provided to him by the police. A white van suspected of being used to transport diving materials was reportedly caught on a traffic camera in Rügen in September 2022 with a passenger who “strongly resembled Z.”.
A German court issued an arrest warrant for Volodymyr Z. in June. News agencies that initially reported the case said they had relied on “information from a foreign intelligence agency” to reach their conclusions.
Where is Volodymyr Z.?
The suspect was last known to be living in a village outside Warsaw, Poland. However, it is believed that he has gone into hiding.
Following questions about why Poland had not executed the European arrest warrant within 60 days as required, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office said the suspect fled to Ukraine before they could do so. The spokesman said they searched the suspect’s residence outside Warsaw, but he had disappeared.
No links have been found between suspect Z. and the Ukrainian government. Two other suspects, a married couple who were not arrested, have denied knowing Z. and said they were on vacation in Bulgaria when the vandalism occurred.
German journalists said they contacted Volodymyr Z. by phone, but the man denied involvement and quickly hung up.
The Swedish news agency Expressen, which cooperated with German news agencies, said the suspect's full name was Volodymyr Zhuravlov, 44.
A spokesman for the German Justice Ministry said they “do not comment on media reports” about the arrest warrant. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office declined to comment.
Minh Duc (According to DW, Kyiv Independent)
Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/duc-co-dong-thai-moi-lien-quan-vu-pha-hoai-duong-ong-nord-stream-204240814213021058.htm
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