Serhij K, a former Ukrainian army captain, has been arrested in Italy for allegedly masterminding the Nord Stream pipeline explosion. The arrest follows an international warrant issued by German investigators. Serhij K, who previously served in Ukraine's intelligence service, is accused of leading a group responsible for the sabotage. He now faces extradition to Germany, where he could face up to 15 years in prison.
Ukrainian Ex-Captain Arrested for Alleged Nord Stream Sabotage
Ukrainian Ex-Captain Arrested for Alleged Nord Stream Sabotage
"Serhij K" is suspected of being the mastermind behind the Nord Stream explosion. On Wednesday evening, he was arrested by military police near San Clemente in Italy. Serhij K was formerly a captain in the Ukrainian army and has worked for the intelligence service SBU.
Serhij K was on his way to accompany his son to university when the Italian military police, carabinieri, struck. The 49-year-old captain in the Ukrainian army is suspected of leading a group of a total of seven people who blew up Nord Stream, reports the Wall Street Journal.
German investigators issued an international arrest warrant for Serhij K and his accomplices several months ago, and now he fell into the trap. Out of sheer carelessness. According to Bild, he used his Ukrainian passport to fly to Italy via Poland. When he arrived in Italy with his wife and two of their children on August 18, the police were already aware of their arrival. German police requested that their Italian colleagues arrest him, and when he again used his passport to check into the hotel, the military police were dispatched. The arrest went smoothly.
He is now in custody in Riccione, and a court in Bologna will decide on extradition to Germany. There, he risks 15 years in prison for sabotage and destruction of critical infrastructure.
Captain, Intelligence Service, and Elite Force
Serhij K was not just any soldier. According to the Wall Street Journal, he is a retired captain in the Ukrainian army. He previously served in the intelligence service SBU and belonged to an elite force that defended Kyiv during the initial phase of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.
In May of the same year, he was tasked with carrying out the explosion. Together with two soldiers and four civilian divers, he led "Operation Diameter," which, according to sources, was overseen by the then army chief Valerij Salusjnyj, who is now Ukraine's ambassador to the UK. According to previous reports, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was informed at a later stage and, after protests from Joe Biden, ordered them to abort the operation.
Zelenskyy and Salusjnyj have denied knowledge of the plans, which according to previous reports in Bild, were originally conceived during a boozy event with high-ranking Ukrainian officers.