The Federal Prosecutor’s Office has issued an arrest warrant in connection with the Nord Stream explosion. At least one of the suspects is said to be in Ukraine.
Lukas Wilhelm and Markus Lippold
Due to the sabotage of the Nord Stream Baltic Sea pipeline, the Federal Prosecutor General has issued a first arrest warrant against a Ukrainian citizen. The responsible public prosecutor’s office in Poland has confirmed corresponding reports. However, the suspect, who lives in Poland, has already left the country for Ukraine, it was said. The reason given is that Germany has issued a European arrest warrant but has not included his name in the wanted persons register.
Nordstream explosion: Three suspects
The man, who is called Volodymyr Z., is said to be a diving instructor. In addition to him, two other suspects, a man and a woman, have been identified in connection with the sabotage of the natural gas pipeline. No arrest warrant has yet been issued against them. The two are also said to be Ukrainian diving instructors. However, the woman – Svitlana U. – protested her innocence in an interview with RTL/ntv.
She said in an interview via video call that she knew Volodymyr Z. “I haven’t worked with him, but I know him, he is a friend and godfather of my child,” said Svitlana U. Regarding Z.’s whereabouts, she said: “I don’t know for sure. From what I know, he is currently in Ukraine, in Kiev.” She spoke to him on the phone after the report was published. “He told me that I didn’t need to worry. I can’t imagine that he had anything to do with it either. Because he has small children.”
Authenticity of evidence remains unclear
As proof of her innocence, she stated that she had photos and videos “that prove that I was in Ukraine in September 2022.” RTL/ntv has the photos showing U. with her daughter. However, it is unclear whether these are authentic. In September 2022, leaks were discovered in the Nord Stream pipes off the Danish island of Bornholm. Two underwater explosions had previously been recorded. Swedish investigators also found traces of explosives at the crime scene, indicating that the explosion was deliberate.
U. also announced that she would take legal action against the journalists “who hastily wrote this article.” “Because I have numerous documents from September 2022 that prove that I was in Kyiv and did not travel,” she said.
Regarding her family, U. said that her parents had been in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022. Her husband joined the National Guard “in the first few days” to defend the country. She herself left Kyiv with the child on March 3 – because of the threat of an occupation of the Ukrainian capital. “We first stayed in Poland for two months, then a week in Austria, a month in Munich, two months in Bulgaria and on September 2, 2022 we returned home,” U. told RTL/ntv.
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When asked about the investigations in Germany, U. said: “It’s hard for me to think about it at the moment, as the articles were only published this morning. I’m surprised that no investigative authorities from Germany have contacted me.” So far, no authorities from Poland, Germany or Ukraine have contacted her. “I travel around Europe practically every month as a diving instructor. I’m surprised that I haven’t been contacted anywhere.” She doesn’t want to be intimidated by the media fuss surrounding her. In the coming days, she is planning a trip to the Portuguese Azores to give diving lessons there.
This article first appeared on ntv.de
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
