A UKRAINIAN SUSPECT in the explosives attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines from Russia has been arrested in Italy, German prosecutors said Thursday.

The suspect is accused of being part of a group “who placed explosive devices on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines near the island of Bornholm in September 2022″, the prosecutors said in a statement.

The man is partially named as Serhii K., which is in line with how suspects are named in the German criminal system.

Another man suspected of taking part in the sabotage, named only as Volodymyr Z., fled amid attempts to apprehend him by German investigators.

This man was believed to be one of the divers who planted explosive devices on the Nord Stream pipelines.

However, a number of German media outlets reported last year that Volodymyr Z. and an alleged female accomplice had both denied any involvement in the attack after they were contacted for comment.

Four large gas leaks were discovered in September 2022 on Nord Stream’s two pipelines off the Danish island of Bornholm, with seismic institutes recording two underwater explosions just beforehand.

The pipelines run between Russia and Germany and had been at the centre of geopolitical tensions after the Kremlin cut gas supplies to Europe in apparent retaliation for Western sanctions resulting from the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine was quick to blame Russia for the sabotage, as were a number of other European officials. Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed both Ukraine and its allies in the US and UK. All four governments have denied culpability. 

© Agence France-Presse