Ukrainian held in Italy over blast mystery of Nord Stream gas pipelines
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Ukrainian held in Italy over blast mystery of Nord Stream gas pipelines
Ukrainian man arrested in Italy on suspicion of blowing up gas pipelines. He was part of a team that sailed from Russia to the Baltic in September. Three of the pipelines were damaged, but no-one has been arrested so far. Russia has blamed the US and UK for the blast, which happened in the Baltic. The two pipelines are part of the Nord Stream network, which links Germany with the rest of the world, and were due to go into service next year. The Russian government has denied any involvement in the blast.
Three of the four pipelines under the Baltic Sea near Bornholm were damaged by the blasts
No-one admitted carrying out the attack, and Ukraine has denied involvement.
The blasts severed a key source of natural gas for Europe when leaders were facing an energy crisis triggered by Russia’s war.
The man, identified only as Serhii K, was arrested in the province of Rimini and was part of a group who planted explosives under the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines from Russia to Germany, federal prosecutors say.
German prosecutors say a Ukrainian man has been arrested in Italy on suspicion of blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea, several months after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Ukrainian, who was detained by Italy’s carabinieri military police stationed in the northern coastal resort of Misano Adriatico, is suspected of being one of the masterminds of the operation.
Prosecutors said he was part of a team that had chartered a yacht and sailed from the German port of Rostock to an area of the Baltic near the Danish island of Bornholm.
Although Nord Stream 2 never went into operation, Nord Stream 1’s two pipelines had provided a steady supply 1,200km (745 miles) under the Baltic from the Russian coast to north-eastern Germany.
Shortly before Russia’s invasion, Germany had cancelled its process to approve Nord Stream 2, which was 100% owned by Russian gas giant Gazprom. Months later, Russia shut down Nord Stream 1.
Then, on 26 September 2022, several explosions were recorded that ruptured three of the four pipelines.
Mystery surrounded the identity of the saboteurs, with Russia coming under Western suspicion and Moscow blaming the US and UK.
Last year German reports suggested a team of Ukrainian divers had hired a yacht and sailed out into the Baltic to attack the pipelines.
German prosecutors issued a warrant for the arrest of a diver named Volodymyr Z last August.
They said on Thursday that the suspect held in Rimini would be brought before an investigating judge after he was extradited from Italy.
The prosecutors said the man was “strongly suspected of jointly causing an explosion and of sabotage undermining the constitution”.
There is no evidence so far linking Ukraine, Russia or any other state to the attacks.
Ukrainian man arrested over Nord Stream pipeline attacks
A Ukrainian man has been arrested in Italy on suspicion of coordinating the 2022 attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, German prosecutors said. The explosions severely damaged three pipelines carrying gas from Russia to Europe, prompting a major escalation in the Ukraine conflict. The arrest comes just as Kyiv is engaged in fraught diplomatic discussions with the United States over how to end the war in Ukraine. Both the U.S. and Ukraine have denied having anything to do with the attacks, and Russia blamed Western sabotage for the blasts, which largely severed Russian gas supplies to the lucrative European market. The suspect, identified only as Serhii K. under German privacy laws, was part of a group of people who planted devices on the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, the prosecutor’s office said. He and his accomplices had set off from Rostock on Germany’s northeastern coast in a sailing yacht to carry out the attack.
Seen by both Moscow and the West as an act of sabotage, the explosions severely damaged three pipelines carrying gas from Russia to Europe, prompting a major escalation in the Ukraine conflict and squeezing energy supplies on the continent. No one has ever taken responsibility for the blasts.
The arrest comes just as Kyiv is engaged in fraught diplomatic discussions with the United States over how to end the war in Ukraine without giving away major concessions and swathes of its own territory to Russia.
Successive Ukrainian governments had seen the pipelines as a symbol of, and vehicle for, Russia’s hold over European energy supplies that Kyiv argued made it hard to act against Moscow ever since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, triggering Europe’s deadliest conflict in 80 years, in which analysts say more than 1 million people have been killed or injured.
“The bombing of the pipelines must be investigated, including through criminal prosecution. Therefore, it is good that we are making progress in this regard,” said German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig in a statement.
An official in the Ukrainian president’s office said he could not comment as it was not clear who had been arrested. The official reiterated Ukraine’s denial of any role in the blasts.
The suspect, identified only as Serhii K. under German privacy laws, was part of a group of people who planted devices on the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, a statement from the prosecutor’s office said.
He and his accomplices had set off from Rostock on Germany’s northeastern coast in a sailing yacht to carry out the attack, it said. The vessel had been rented from a German company with the help of forged identity documents via middlemen, it added.
Authorities acted on a European arrest warrant for the suspect, who faces charges of collusion to cause an explosion, anti-constitutional sabotage and destruction of important structures.
Carabinieri officers arrested him overnight in the province of Rimini on Italy’s Adriatic coast, the German prosecutors’ statement said.
The Italian Carabinieri confirmed the arrest and said the suspect was aged 49 but gave no further details.
MYSTERIOUS BLASTS
In September 2022, one of the two lines of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was damaged by mysterious blasts, along with both lines of Nord Stream 1 that carried Russian gas to Europe.
Both the U.S. and Ukraine have denied having anything to do with the attacks, as has Russia. Moscow, without providing evidence, blamed Western sabotage for the blasts, which largely severed Russian gas supplies to the lucrative European market.
Denmark and Sweden closed their investigations in February 2024, leaving Germany as the only country continuing to pursue the case.
Danish authorities concluded there was “deliberate sabotage of the gas pipelines” but found “insufficient grounds to pursue a criminal case”, while Sweden closed its investigation citing a lack of jurisdiction.
The Washington Post and Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine have previously said the team that carried out the attack was put together by a former Ukrainian intelligence officer, who has denied involvement.
In January 2023, Germany raided a ship that it said may have been used to transport explosives and told the United Nations it believed trained divers could have attached devices to the pipelines at about 70 to 80 metres deep.
The boat, leased in Germany via a Poland-registered company, contained traces of octogen, the same explosive that was found at the underwater blast sites, according to the investigations by Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
German media reported last year that Germany had issued a European arrest warrant against a Ukrainian diving instructor who allegedly was part of the team that blew up the pipelines.
Citing unnamed sources, several outlets reported that German investigators believed the man, last known to have lived in Poland, was one of the divers who planted explosive devices on the pipelines.
(Reporting by Rachel More, Sarah Marsh, Giulio Piovaccari, Gavin Jones, Thomas Escritt, Tom Balmforth, Stine Jacobsen; writing by Matthias WilliamsEditing by Gareth Jones)
Ukrainian man arrested over mysterious Nord Stream pipeline attacks
Italian police have arrested a Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines. The explosions nearly three years ago left gas billowing from Nord Stream 1 and 2 – two major conduits that transported Russian gas to Europe. The origin of the explosions has been a subject of intense speculation and further stoked political tensions in Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both Ukraine and Russia denied any involvement in the attacks and the suspect will be extradited to Germany.
Italian police have arrested a Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines in the months that followed Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The explosions nearly three years ago left gas billowing from Nord Stream 1 and 2 – two major conduits that transported Russian gas to Europe – and prompted a huge operation to find who was responsible.
The origin of the explosions has been a subject of intense speculation and further stoked political tensions in Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Neither of the pipelines were actively transporting gas to Europe at the time of the leaks, though they still held gas under pressure, and both Ukraine and Russia denied any involvement.
Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office announced the arrest. In a statement they said that the suspect, named only as Serhii K under German privacy laws, “belongs to a group of people who planted explosive devices in the gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 near the island of Bornholm in September 2022.”
Italian police confirmed the arrest of the suspect in Rimini, northern Italy, but gave few other details. He will be brought before a German judge after being extradited.
The suspect and his accomplices used a sailing yacht to carry out the attack, traveling from the port of Rostock, German prosecutors said, adding that the vessel had been rented from a German company via intermediaries using forged identity documents.
The breakthrough comes after German authorities in August 2024 issued an international arrest warrant for another Ukrainian man suspected of causing damage to the pipelines.
German media reported at that time that investigations had honed in on a six-person crew, including five men and one woman.
During their voyage, the crew is reportedly suspected of diving into the Baltic Sea and attaching explosives to the massive Nord Stream pipelines, which subsequently detonated and damaged both lines, according to the outlets ARD, Die Zeit and Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Denmark and Sweden both investigated the attack but closed their inquiries in 2024, leaving Germany the only country chasing the case.
This story has been updated.
Swindon’s Ukrainian festival to ‘shine a light’ on ongoing war
Ukrainian festival to ‘shine a light’ on conflict in Ukraine. UkraineFest 2025 is taking place in Swindon, Wiltshire, on Saturday. Last year more than 3,000 attended the event, which is now in its third year. Former Ukrainian commander Grinchenko Volodymyr Mykolayovych will speak at the festival about those who have fought and died before leading a minute of silence. More than 500 Ukrainians, who were fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have arrived in the city since 2022.
8 hours ago Share Save Alexandra Bassingham BBC News, West of England Share Save
Anastasiia Moskalenko Ukrainians, pictured here at last year’s UkraineFest, will gather on Saturday for this year’s event
One of Britain’s biggest Ukrainian festivals is returning this weekend as organisers say the event will “shine a light” on the ongoing war. Now in its third year, UkraineFest 2025 is taking place in Swindon, Wiltshire, on Saturday, the day before Ukrainian Independence Day. Last year more than 3,000 attended. Kris Talikowski, from Swindon Welcomes Ukraine who are organising the event, said it is not “just a cultural festival, it’s a message”. He added: “We shine a light on a war that has not ended, on families still suffering, on a nation still fighting.”
Anastasiia Moskalenko This year’s event is expected to shine a light on the ongoing war in Ukraine
More than 500 Ukrainians, who were fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have arrived in Swindon through the Homes for Ukraine scheme since 2022. Former Ukrainian commander Grinchenko Volodymyr Mykolayovych will speak at the festival about those who have fought and died before leading a minute of silence. The Ukrainian flag will then be raised. Swindon Welcomes Ukraine chairwoman, Anastasiia Banatska, said: “Many of us fled with nothing, but we built a life here in Swindon.
Anastasiia Moskalenko Swindon Welcomes Ukraine chairwoman, Anastasiia Banatska, said many Ukrainians fled their homes with nothing
“This festival shows that Ukrainian culture is not only alive, it is thriving. “We are grateful to Britain and to the people of Swindon for welcoming us, but we are also united in saying Ukraine must remain whole and free,” he added. The free festival will be held at the Town Gardens in Old Town from 12:00 BST until 19:00. As well as Ukrainian food, there will be bands, dancers, choirs, folk groups and cultural demonstrations.
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Related Internet Links War in Ukraine
Why Donetsk ‘fortress belt’ matters so much for Ukraine’s defences against Russia
Ukraine still holds about 6,600 sq km (2,548 sq miles) of territory in Donetsk. Russia holds about 70% of the region (oblast), including the regional capital of the same name. For Russia to gain all of Donetsk would cement its internationally unrecognised claim to the oblast as well as avoiding further heavy military losses. For Ukraine to withdraw from western Donetsk would mean the loss of a bulwark against any future Russian advance. A recent report by the US-based Institute for the Study of War describes a “fortress belt” running 50km (31 miles) through western Donetsk. “The terrain is fairly defensible, particularly the Chasiv Yar height which has been underpinning the Ukrainian line,” says Nick Reynolds, of the Royal United United Warfare Institute (Rusi) “The reality is these resources likely will not be able to be accessed for arguably a decade at least because of the [land] mines,” he says. “If you look at the topography of the Donbas, eastern Ukraine in general, overall the terrain doesn’t really favour the Ukrainians,” he adds.
19 hours ago Share Save Patrick Jackson BBC News Share Save
Reuters Anti-drone nets hang over a road near Kostyantynivka earlier this month
A key takeaway from the summit in Alaska is that Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly wants to freeze the war in Ukraine along its current front line in return for the surrender of the rest of Donetsk region. Russia holds about 70% of the region (oblast), including the regional capital of the same name, after more than a decade of fighting in which Donetsk and neighbouring Luhansk have been the bleeding heart of the conflict. For Russia to gain all of Donetsk would cement its internationally unrecognised claim to the oblast as well as avoiding further heavy military losses. For Ukraine to withdraw from western Donetsk would mean the grievous loss not just of land, with the prospect of a new exodus of refugees, but the fall of a bulwark against any future Russian advance. Here we look at why the territory matters so much.
What does Ukraine still control?
According to an estimate by Reuters news agency, Ukraine still holds about 6,600 sq km (2,548 sq miles) of territory in Donetsk. About a quarter of a million people remain there, local officials said recently. Major urban centres include Kramatorsk, Slovyansk, Kostyantynivka and Druzhkivka. It forms part of Ukraine’s main industrial region, the Donbas (Donets Basin), though its economy has been devastated by the war. “The reality is these resources likely will not be able to be accessed for arguably a decade at least because of the [land] mines…” Dr Marnie Howlett, departmental lecturer in Russian and East European Politics at the University of Oxford, told Reuters. “These lands have been completely destroyed, these cities completely flattened.” Resignation and betrayal: What handing Donbas to Putin would mean for Ukraine
Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia
What security guarantees for Ukraine would actually mean
Where is the territory’s military value?
A recent report by the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) describes a “fortress belt” running 50km (31 miles) through western Donetsk. “Ukraine has spent the last 11 years pouring time, money, and effort into reinforcing the fortress belt and establishing significant defense industrial and defensive infrastructure,” it writes. Reports from the region speak of trenches, bunkers, minefields, anti-tank obstacles and barbed wire. Russian forces attacking in the direction of Pokrovsk “are engaged in an effort to seize it that would likely take several years to complete”, the ISW argues. Fortifications are certainly part of the Ukrainian defence but so is the topography. “The terrain is fairly defensible, particularly the Chasiv Yar height which has been underpinning the Ukrainian line,” Nick Reynolds, Research Fellow for Land Warfare at the UK-based Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), tells BBC News. However, he adds: “If you look at the topography of the Donbas, eastern Ukraine in general, overall the terrain doesn’t really favour the Ukrainians.” “The city of Donetsk is high ground. It’s all downhill as you go west, which isn’t great for the Ukrainians in terms of running defensive operations. “That’s not just about drawing in for the close fight or difficulties going up and down hill, a lot of it is also about observation and thus the ability to co-ordinate artillery fires and other forms of fire support without putting drones up. “Likewise bits of high ground are better for radio wave propagation, better for co-ordination of drones.” Chasiv Yar, which the Russians recently claimed to have captured, “is one of the last bits of high ground the Ukrainians control”, he says. Intelligence via satellite imagery, whether provided by Ukraine’s international partners or commercial, is very important, Reynolds notes, “but it is not the same as being able directly to co-ordinate one’s own tactical missions”.
24 Mechanised brigade via EPA Much of Chasiv Yar has been reduced to rubble
Does the Russian military need all of Donetsk?
Western Donetsk is just a small part of a front line stretching some 1,100km but it has seen some of the fiercest Russian attacks this summer. But were Moscow to channel its ground forces in any different direction, it is doubtful whether they would make any better progress. “In the south, the front line in Zaporizhzhia is now very similar to the one in the Donbas, so that would be just fighting through extensive defensive positions as well,” says Reynolds. “The Russians face the same problem trying to bash through in the north, so they certainly wouldn’t be pushing on an open door.”
Would Ukraine be able to rebuild its defences further west?
In theory, in the event of a peace deal, the Ukrainians could move their line back further west. There would, of course, be the issue of unfavourable terrain, and building deep defences would take time, even with the help of civilian contractors not having to work under fire. But theory is one thing and Rusi’s land warfare research fellow cannot see the Ukrainian military giving up western Donetsk without a fight. “Even if the Trump administration tries to use ongoing US support or security guarantees as leverage,” Nick Reynolds says, “based on previous Russian behaviour, based on the explicitly transactional approach that the US administration has taken, it is hard to see how the Ukrainian government would want to give up that territory.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his country will reject any Russian proposal to give up the Donbas region in exchange for a ceasefire, arguing that the eastern territory could be used as a springboard for future attacks.