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Germany has issued an arrest warrant for a 44-year-old Ukrainian man suspected of sabotaging a gas pipeline, according to media reports.
Ukraine has clear motive to sabotage Nord Stream gas pipeline in 2022 Arkady MoshesResearch Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.
Germany has issued an arrest warrant for a 44-year-old Ukrainian man suspected of sabotaging a gas pipeline, according to multiple news outlets, including Reuters.
In September 2022, authorities discovered that the pipeline Damaged and a natural gas leak in the Baltic Sea region of Sweden and Denmark. Some believe Russia was behind the sabotage, but Moscow Denied These allegations.
The Ukrainian suspect is a professional diver. Authorities believe he conspired with two other Ukrainian diving instructors to place explosives next to the undersea pipeline, but no arrest warrants have been issued for the other two, Reuters reported.
Media reports also pointed out that the investigation into the matter did not show direct involvement of the Ukrainian government.
However, Moshes said Ukraine’s motives were clear because the Nord Stream pipeline supplies Germany with natural gas from Russia.
“[Keeping the pipeline open]could lead to Germany working more closely with Russia, which would mean more pressure on Ukraine to capitulate,” Moshes explained.
He added that now that a warrant has been issued, the evidence against the suspect is certainly strong.
“This can’t be a PR ploy. They really believe this was done by the Ukrainians,” Moshes said.
When the Nord Stream pipeline was damaged, Russia had been waging war in Ukraine for more than half a year, and Europe, which relies on Russian gas, was facing an energy crisis, and Russia had taken advantage of the situation.
Moshes noted that Ukraine and Poland were uncomfortable with the Nord Stream project from the beginning, adding that the situation ultimately worked out in Germany’s favor.
“The pipeline destruction forced Germany to look for alternative energy sources and build new liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure, which they did very quickly,” Moshes said.
The damaged pipeline could even improve relations between Germany and Ukraine, the researchers said.
He added that German leaders may also realize how important it is for Germany to quickly wean itself off its reliance on Russian energy, even though it would be economically painful.
“The people who sabotaged the pipeline eliminated the possibility that Germany would prioritize Russian gas over Ukrainian freedom. So this helped Germany make the right decision,” Moshes said.
In a separate incident, the Baltic Connector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was also sabotaged in 2023 under mysterious circumstances.
On Monday, the media Reported China has acknowledged that the Chinese cargo ship New New Polar Bear Responsible for the damage to the pipeline.
On Wednesday, Estonia’s newly elected prime minister Kristen Michelle, explain It is too early to comment on the developments in detail.
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