An arrest warrant has been issued for a Ukrainian man over the Nord Stream gas pipeline bombing,two years after the mysterious explosions that Russia denied involvement in.
Since the bombing,speculation has been rife around who was responsible with Ukraine and Russia both vehemently denying any involvement.
But German media reported on Wednesday that a European arrest warrant had been requested for a Ukrainian man,a diving instructor whose last known address was in Poland.
The Polish prosecutor's office told AFP it had received the warrant for a man named as 'Volodymyr Z.' in June 'in connection with proceedings against him in Germany'.
However,the man left for Ukraine at the beginning of July before he could be detained,it said.
Underwater video shows extensive damage to Nord Stream 1 pipeline
Four large gas leaks were discovered in September 2022 in the pipelines off the Danish island of Bornholm,with seismic institutes recording two underwater explosions just before.
While the leaks were in international waters,two were in Denmark's exclusive economic zone and two in Sweden's.
The pipelines were not in operation when the leaks occurred,but they still contained gas which spewed up to the surface and into the atmosphere.
The Ukrainian suspects are accused of transporting the explosives used in the attack in a sailing yacht called the Andromeda,according to the German media reports.
The same yacht was searched by German investigators in January 2023.
According to reports at the time,a team of five men and one woman chartered the yacht from Rostock port to carry out the operation.
In June 2023,Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted Kyiv knew nothing about any plan to blow up the pipelines.
As president he has the power to give orders,Zelensky said in an interview with Germany's Bild daily. 'I did nothing like that. I would never do that,' he said.
Denmark,Sweden and Germany all opened investigations into the explosions,but Denmark and Sweden both closed their investigations earlier this year.
PolandUkraineGermanyRussiaNord Stream 2
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