German Attorney General Jens Rommel has issued the first arrest warrant for the main suspect in the 2022 Nord Stream bombing case. In particular, Ukrainian Volodymyr S. is wanted.
Points of attention
- The German Prosecutor's Office has issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian in the case of the Nord Stream bombing.
- The main suspect, Ukrainian Volodymyr S., was connected to the gas pipeline explosions.
- Poland did not respond to a German request to arrest the suspect, raising questions about how to proceed with the case.
- The latest details of the Nord Stream bombing show that Denmark and Sweden handed over evidence to German investigators, and the Ukrainians deny involvement in this event.
What is known about the suspect
According to journalists, the suspect is a diving instructor. He used to live in the town of Pruszków west of Warsaw, but lately the Ukrainian is allegedly hiding.
Whether he returned to Ukraine is unknown.
According to the investigation, Volodymyr S. was one of the passengers of a white Citroën, which was recorded near Rügen on the night of September 8, 2022. It is believed that this car was carrying the crew to the Andromeda yacht, which was transporting divers to the detonation sites. Volodymyr S. was identified based on photographs and witness statements. The media reports that this evidence was enough to issue an arrest warrant.
The investigation also suspects two other citizens of Ukraine — a man and a woman. They are also believed to have been involved in the detonation, probably as divers who planted explosive charges on the pipelines. These figures are based, among other things, on foreign intelligence.
In June, German prosecutors applied to Polish authorities for a European arrest warrant in the hope that the suspect would be arrested. But the Polish side did not respond to the German request for legal assistance, and the German government did not know until the last moment how the Poles would act with the arrest warrant.
According to the general rules of the European Arrest Warrant, which Germany and Poland consider binding, the arrest could be expected within 60 days without further investigation by Poland. This term has now expired.
It is noted that German journalists contacted the suspect Volodymyr S. by phone. He said that it was the first time he had heard about the suspicion and denied participation in the detonation of the gas station.
The undermining of the "Nordic Streams" - the latest details
On February 26, 2024, it was officially announced that Denmark had stopped its investigation into the Nord Stream explosions.
This happened after Sweden closed its investigation and handed over the evidence it discovered to German investigators.
Even a year ago, materials appeared in foreign media suggesting that non-governmental groups, which could include Russians and Ukrainians, could be behind the explosion of gas pipelines.
Later, information appeared that the intelligence of the Netherlands allegedly found out about the sabotage plan by the Ukrainians and warned the US about it.
Ukraine denies its involvement in the undermining of the Nord Streams.
