A second suspect has been arrested in relation to the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions in 2022, German prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Croatian police, acting on a European arrest warrant, detained a Ukrainian national in Pula.
“The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office had Ukrainian Vladimir Z. arrested in Pula (Croatia) by local police forces,” prosecutors said.
They said that the man, a trained scuba diver, “is strongly suspected of jointly causing explosions.”
The prosecutors said they were pursuing the man’s extradition from Croatia.
Another suspect, also a Ukrainian national, was arrested in Italy last year.
What happened to the Nord Stream pipelines?
The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were set up to deliver Russian gas to Germany and other countries in Europe.
Nord Stream 2 had yet to enter service when in September 2022, both pipelines were damaged by blasts that rendered them inoperable.
The blasts came just months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Germany has said it believes the blasts were sabotage ordered by unspecified Ukrainian state entities but Kyiv has so far denied involvement.
Prosecutors have said the plot aimed to permanently disrupt gas deliveries via the pipelines and prevent Moscow from using the revenue generated from natural gas trading to finance its military operations.
Moscow had repeatedly reduced or suspended deliveries through Nord Stream 1 after starting the invasion, blaming Western
sanctions and technical issues.
Europe, in its turn, accused Russia of weaponizing energy supplies.
More to follow…
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