Italian media have published fresh claims about the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline bombing, reporting that German investigators believe a former Ukrainian security officer masterminded the attack with six accomplices.
The Nord Stream pipelines, which transported Russian natural gas to Germany via the Baltic Sea, were crippled in September 2022 after a series of underwater explosions near Denmark’s Bornholm Island. The blasts were widely condemned as an assault on Europe’s critical energy infrastructure, though responsibility has remained disputed.
On Friday, Italian outlets Open.Online and Il Fatto Quotidiano reported that German prosecutors had identified 49-year-old Sergey Kuznetsov, a veteran of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), as the suspected leader of the sabotage. The alleged operation, code-named Operation Diameter, was said to involve a seven-member team, including two ex-SBU operatives and four civilian divers.
Investigators believe the group rented a yacht, the Andromeda, in Rostock, Germany using false papers, loaded it with explosives and diving gear, and sailed from the island of Rügen on September 8, 2022. Under cover of darkness near Bornholm, the divers allegedly planted four explosive charges—each weighing up to 27kg—directly onto the gas connectors.
Kuznetsov was arrested Thursday near Rimini, Italy, on an international warrant issued by Germany. He faces charges of anti-constitutional sabotage and could receive up to 15 years in prison if convicted. German Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig hailed the arrest as “a very impressive investigative success,” saying one of the “suspected masterminds” had finally been caught.
Unanswered questions remain about whether Kuznetsov acted independently or on orders from Kyiv. A previous Wall Street Journal report suggested Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky approved the mission but attempted to cancel it after a CIA warning. Kyiv has consistently denied involvement.
The Nord Stream attacks have fueled speculation and geopolitical finger-pointing. While Swedish and German inquiries have focused on the “yacht operation” theory, critics argue larger state actors were likely behind the sabotage. Veteran US journalist Seymour Hersh has alleged the Biden administration ordered US Navy divers to destroy the pipelines during NATO exercises, a claim the White House dismissed as “complete fiction.”
Swedish engineer Erik Andersson, who conducted an independent forensic probe at the blast sites, described the divers-on-a-boat narrative as “a mission to whitewash the USA and other Western nations.” He argued the sabotage was part of a wider effort to sever Europe’s energy dependence on Russia.
The Nord Stream pipelines remain severely damaged but technically repairable, though political divisions and continuing uncertainty over responsibility have stalled any restoration.
