'Volodymyr Z' Arrested Over Nord Stream Sabotage

A Ukrainian man suspected of being involved in causing undersea explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany in 2022 has been arrested in Poland, a spokesperson for the district prosecutor's office in Warsaw said, per the AP. The suspect, named only as "Volodymyr Z," was detained by police officers in Pruszkow, in central Poland, according to Polish radio station RMF FM, which first reported on his capture. He has been transferred to the district prosecutor's office in Warsaw.

The man was detained on a European arrest warrant that was issued by German authorities. "Taking into consideration the full-scale war in Ukraine and the fact that Nord Stream is owned by the Russian company Gazprom, which finances these activities, the defense currently does not see any possibility of pressing charges against anyone who participated in these events," the suspect's lawyer told RMF FM, per the Guardian. Reuters notes that another Ukrainian man was arrested in August in Italy on suspicion of being the one who coordinated the attacks.