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Former Ukrainian officer charged over Nord Stream attack in Germany
German federal prosecutors have charged a former Ukrainian army officer with war crimes over the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines. The indictment alleges the attack was carried out on behalf of Ukrainian state officials.
A court in Hamburg, Germany, has charged a former Ukrainian army officer with war crimes in connection with the 2022 attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
Under German privacy rules, the defendant, identified as Serhii K., will be tried on charges of attacking civilian targets, causing explosions, destroying infrastructure and disrupting public services, allegedly acting on behalf of Ukrainian state officials.
Defendant Serhii K. has denied the allegations. Ukrainian authorities said they did not have enough information for a detailed response. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had not yet received the full details of the indictment, adding, “The relevant officials from our countries will make contact, and when we have more details we can probably respond. It is too early to speak for now.”
In September 2022, seven months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, explosions rendered the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which was critical for transporting Russian gas to Europe, inoperable. The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which had not yet entered service, was also damaged.
According to the German indictment, Serhii K., while serving as an officer in the Ukrainian army in 2022, led a team of divers, a boat captain and an explosives expert who entered Germany on fake Ukrainian passports. The team rented a boat using false documents, transported military-grade explosives through international waters to near the Danish island of Bornholm, placed the explosives on the pipelines on the Baltic Sea floor and set time-delayed fuses.
The prosecution stated the aim of the attack was to permanently stop gas shipments through the pipelines and prevent Russia from using revenue from its gas trade to fund its war effort.
Serhii K. was arrested in Italy last August and extradited to Germany in November. Under German law, he faces a minimum sentence of three years in prison for attacking civilian targets. German courts have asserted jurisdiction over the case because the damaged pipelines terminated in Lubmin in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, affecting Germany's energy security.
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