Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has described the sabotage of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in autumn 2022 as an act that bears all the hallmarks of state terrorism. He was reacting to reports of the arrest in Italy of a Ukrainian citizen suspected of involvement in the Baltic Sea attack. According to Szijjártó, if a terrorist act is carried out using state resources and with the support of state structures, it must be considered state terrorism.

Last week, Serhiy Kuznetsov, a 49-year-old Ukrainian, was arrested in Italy on a European arrest warrant issued by Germany. According to German investigators, he was involved in the organisation of the attack and was one of the coordinators of the operation. There have also been reports that he worked in the Ukrainian intelligence services until 2015. According to German prosecutors, he and others were to plant explosives on gas pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm.

The incident itself took place on 26 September 2022, when three branches of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were severely damaged. These undersea pipelines were a key part of Russia's gas supply to Europe and their decommissioning had not only economic but also geopolitical consequences.

According to a statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Moscow believes the attack was carried out with the support of the United States. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has opened an investigation, classifying it as an act of international terrorism. Western states, including Germany, are refraining from directly accusing specific actors, while the investigation is being conducted with international cooperation.

The Nord Stream case thus remains one of the biggest unsolved sabotages of recent years. Szijjártó's statement stressed that if the involvement of state structures in the attack is confirmed, it will set a precedent that will have to be labelled as state terrorism. Moreover, the whole affair further complicates the already tense relations between the European Union, Russia and Ukraine.

TASS/gnews.cz - GH