Italian police have arrested Ukrainian citizen Serhij K. on suspicion of involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions, according to reports by Spiegel and Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office.
The detention occurred on the evening of 20 August in Italy’s Rimini province based on a European arrest warrant, Spiegel reported. The suspect allegedly belonged to a group that destroyed the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022.
According to German investigators, Serhij K. was aboard the sailing yacht “Andromeda” during the operation but was not among the divers who planted the explosives. Instead, prosecutors believe he served a coordinating function in what they describe as the pipeline attacks carried out by a Ukrainian commando unit.
The operation involved bringing divers close to the pipelines via a specially rented sailing yacht, then deploying them to attach explosives to the seabed infrastructure, Spiegel reports. The yacht was reportedly rented through intermediaries from a German company using forged documents.
Serhij K. faces charges including joint commission of an explosion using explosives, anti-constitutional sabotage, and destruction of buildings. German authorities plan to request his extradition from Italy.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that several high-ranking Ukrainian military officials and businessmen planned the pipeline operation using an ordinary pleasure yacht and open sea charts. According to the newspaper’s sources, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy initially approved the plan but later ordered its cancellation after Dutch military intelligence MIVD learned of the operation and informed the CIA, which then alerted Germany.
The Journal reported that CIA officials warned Zelenskyy’s office to halt the operation, prompting Zelenskyy to order General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi to stop it. However, according to WSJ sources, Zaluzhnyi ignored the order.
This marks the second arrest warrant in the case. Germany’s Federal Prosecutor General previously issued an arrest warrant for Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Z., who was to be detained in Poland where he resided but managed to leave for Ukraine before arrest.
German media reported that Volodymyr Z. crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border in early July in a vehicle with diplomatic plates. Some Polish officials allegedly responded to accusations they warned the suspect by stating: “Why should we arrest him? He’s a hero to us!”
Poland’s border service denied accusations that they allowed the suspect to enter Ukraine in a diplomatic vehicle despite having orders to detain him, emphasizing they had neither legal grounds nor appropriate information for Volodymyr Z.’s arrest.
German investigators suspect two other Ukrainian citizens in the case, including a woman. The Federal Prosecutor General has been investigating the explosions since 2022 on suspicion of anti-constitutional sabotage and causing an explosive detonation.
When Spiegel spoke with individuals with detailed knowledge of the events in Ukraine in 2024, sources indicated the commando unit had no intention of committing a crime. For the Ukrainian operatives, the pipeline destruction represented an attack on a legitimate military target in the war between Ukraine and Russia, with gas delivery profits significantly contributing to financing Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Spiegel’s investigation also found indications that the Ukrainian armed forces had sanctioned the operation.
Initially, politicians and media assumed Russian perpetrators were behind the explosions. German Federal Police and Federal Prosecutor investigators eventually traced the sailing yacht and uncovered connections to Ukraine.
Security circles indicate it remains unclear when Serhij K. will be extradited to Germany. The suspect was not available for immediate comment, and information about legal representation was not initially available.