A Ukrainian national has been arrested in Italy on suspicion of orchestrating the Nord Stream pipeline bombings in 2022.
The suspect, known only as Serhii K, is accused of carrying out the underwater attack of the Nord Stream 1 and 2, which transported natural gas between Russia and Germany.
Prosecutors in Germany have said they believe that the bombings were carried out by a Ukrainian group operating from a yacht.
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The suspect, known only as Serhii K, is accused of carrying out the underwater attack of the Nord Stream 1 and 2
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The attack is widely considered one of the most significant acts of sabotage in recent European history.
The explosions caused immense damage to three out of the four strands of the pipeline and caused the largest single leak of methane ever recorded.
Nord Stream was considered by critics to be a symbol of the reliance of Germany and central Europe on Russian energy.
After the sabotage was carried out, various theories as to who was behind the attack circulated.
The explosions caused immense damage to three out of the four strands of the pipeline and caused the largest single leak of methane ever recorded
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Poland, the US, Russia and even Britain were all accused of being behind the explosions, which rendered the natural gas pipelines inoperable.
However, leaks from a German investigation into the bombings indicated that the group responsible was most likely a six-man group of Ukrainian origin.
Ukraine's Government has vehemently denied allegations that it was behind the attack, despite investigators from Germany hinting that the plans were known to high-ups in the Ukraine's military and security services.
The German federal prosecutor's office confirmed that Serhii K was arrested by Italian authorities in the city of Rimini on Thursday.
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The German federal prosecutor's office confirmed that Serhii K was arrested by Italian authorities in the city of Rimini
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The accused is set to be extradited to Germany, where he will face charges of destroying structures, causing an explosion and sabotage “in violation of the constitution”.
A statement from the German federal prosecutor's office claims that Serhii K is believed to be “one of the coordinators of the operation”.
The statement adds: “For transport, he and his accomplices used a sailing yacht that started from Rostock.
“The yacht had previously been rented from a German business by middlemen with the help of falsified identity papers.”
An international arrest warrant for another suspect, known as Volodymyr Z, was issued by German prosecutors last year.
The suspect is alleged to have been one of the divers who placed the bombs onto the pipelines, but it is thought that he had already fled across the border with Ukraine after the attacks.
In 2019, US President Donald Trump heavily criticised the construction of Nord Stream 2, warning that it could make Europe a "hostage of Russia" - and announced sanctions for any company helping Russia to construct the pipeline.
These sanctions were later lifted by the Biden administration, which claimed that the measures were straining relations between the US and its European allies.