The Ukrainian was arrested near Brindisi and is believed to have been on board the sailboat that is thought to have been used during the attack.
German prosecutors do not believe that the man himself dived down to the gas pipeline, but describe it as the man having a coordinating role, according to the news magazine.
Part of a group
He is believed to have been part of a group that placed explosive devices on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines near Bornholm, according to the prosecutors in a statement, reports AFP.
According to the prosecution, he traveled with other people on a boat, which they rented with forged ID documents, from Rostock in Germany.
He is suspected of having caused explosions, constitutionally hostile sabotage and destruction of facilities.
This is an ongoing legal process in Germany and, as usual, Swedish authorities will cooperate with German authorities if needed. But I have nothing further to comment on that, says Sweden's Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M).
In September 2022, the discovery was made that the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, which run from Russia to Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, had sprung a leak. Seismic measurements showed that explosions had occurred in the sea shortly before, and later Swedish prosecutors confirmed that the pipelines had been blown up.
German arrest warrant
Investigations have been initiated and closed in both Sweden and Denmark, while a German investigation into "constitutionally hostile sabotage" is still ongoing.
Last year, the German federal prosecutor issued an arrest warrant against one of the suspected divers, who participated in attaching explosive charges to the gas pipelines. The man, who was living in Poland, managed to flee and make his way to Ukraine – according to Der Spiegel in a car with Ukrainian diplomatic license plates.
Several international media outlets, including Der Spiegel, have previously reported source information that the bombing was planned and carried out with the knowledge of the Ukrainian military.
