Ukrainian diver Volodymyr Z., suspected by German authorities of participating in the Nord Stream gas pipeline bombing, left Poland for Ukraine in early July, the spokeswoman for the Prosecutor General's Office, Anna Adamyak, told Polish media outlet Onet on Wednesday.
According to her, Germany issued a European arrest warrant for him, but did not enter his data into the search database, which allowed the man to cross the border and enter Ukraine.
On Wednesday morning, German media reported progress in the investigation into the Nord Stream explosion. According to ARD, Die Zeit, and Suddeutsche Zeitung, German services suspect Ukrainian diving instructor Volodymyr Z of the pipeline explosion.
The man and three other people allegedly sailed to the Baltic Sea on a sailing yacht from the port of Rostock in September 2022, then went underwater and placed explosive charges on Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2. The boat returned to Rostock after stops in Rügen, Bornholm and Kristiansø in Denmark, as well as Sandhamn in Sweden and Kolobrzeg in Poland.
Volodymyr Z. lived in Pruszków near Warsaw. In June, German services requested his detention, according to German media.
The Polish prosecutor's office confirms that the German side has received a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) in this case. However, Polish services have not found Vladimir Z. at his alleged place of residence.
"In early July, the man crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border," the spokesperson for the Prosecutor General's Office, Anna Adamyak, told Onet.
She added that the Germans had only issued an EAW for the diver, but he was not listed in the database of wanted persons used by the Border Guard Service, meaning that the German side did not enter his data there. As a result, he was not detained by Polish border guards.
Explosion of the Russian Nord Stream pipeline
- The explosions on Russian gas pipelines took place in September 2022. Preliminary conclusions of the Swedish and Danish investigations indicate that the bombings were deliberate.
- The Ukrainian president denied that Ukrainians were involved in the bombing. European investigators accused Poland of obstructing the investigation.
- The Washington Post wrote that ex-intelligence officer Roman Chervinsky may have been involved in the bombing.
- Sweden and Denmark closed their investigations earlier this year, but the German federal prosecutor continued the proceedings on suspicion of deliberate explosion and sabotage.