Suspected Nord Stream saboteur is a former Ukrainian spy, German media reports

BERLIN

The suspected Nord Stream saboteur, who was arrested in Italy on Wednesday, is a former agent of the Ukrainian intelligence service SBU, German news portal Spiegel reported on Friday.

According to the report, the suspect, identified as Serhii K., graduated from the Ukrainian Intelligence Service Academy and worked there until 2015. Security sources informed the news portal that the 49-year-old later worked for an energy company for several years before joining Ukrainian special forces when the war with Russia began.

The 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines was an unprecedented attack that caused extensive damage to the infrastructure connecting Russia and Germany beneath the Baltic Sea. The Ukrainian government has repeatedly denied any involvement.

According to media reports, German authorities revealed the suspect's identity after deepening their investigation into the rental of a yacht named Andromeda, which served as the operational base for the sabotage mission. The investigation determined that the team traveled to Germany and rented the yacht using forged identity documents.

Serhij K. was believed to be among the team, which included two divers, two assistants, a captain, and a medic. However, he was believed to have acted as a coordinator in the operation rather than as one of the operatives who physically attached the explosive devices.

Security sources told Spiegel that the suspect possessed two authentic Ukrainian passports issued under different names—which they interpreted as potentially indicating the involvement of Ukrainian state agencies in concealing the suspected saboteur's identity. He was arrested on Wednesday near the northern Italian city of Rimini based on a European arrest warrant issued by Germany.