In an investigation into the Nord Stream pipeline attacks in 2022, a German judge has issued a European arrest warrant for a Ukrainian man allegedly involved in the attacks, German media reported. Oil dies, I want and South Germany Zeitung.

The arrest warrant was issued at the request of the German federal prosecutor, who said he had established that the man was among the six-man crew of the sailing vessel allegedly used in the attack in the Baltic Sea.

Because Vladimir S., a diving instructor who worked at a diving school in Kiev at the time of the attack, had been living in Warsaw for some time, Germany submitted an extradition request to Poland. But that country did not respond.

The man is now said to have disappeared, German media report. They point out that Poland, one of Ukraine’s closest European allies, has repeatedly obstructed the investigation into the Nord Stream attacks.

The German prosecutor also named two Ukrainian colleagues of Vladimir S. as suspects, the media reported: the founder of the diving school and his wife. They are said to still be living in Ukraine. No arrest warrants have been issued for them. It is unclear why. All three were said to have been on board the Andromeda sailing ship.

NOS Research Editorial Board /News hour It reconstructed the attack, in collaboration with a number of European media outlets, and spoke to new witnesses, among other things. Previous research showed that the Dutch intelligence service MIVD, which turned out to have a significant source in Ukraine, warned of an attack at an early stage.

On September 27, 2022, multiple leaks were recorded in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 offshore gas pipelines. Four large holes were discovered in the gas pipelines at the bottom of the Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany.

There was great disbelief: a small leak could still have been caused by the ship’s anchor being pulled. But the many large holes in various pipelines could not have been a coincidence. The places where the mysterious holes were discovered were located southeast and northeast of the Danish island of Bornholm.

These ships were officially in international waters, but were within the exclusive economic zone of Denmark and Sweden.

Never before has an attack on European soil caused such material damage. The pipelines that carry Russian gas directly to Germany cost billions of euros.

If Ukraine is found to be involved in the pipeline attacks, the outcome would be very uncomfortable for the West. “Any deliberate disruption of Europe’s energy infrastructure is unacceptable,” the European Commission said the day after the attack.