Charges brought against Ukrainian soldier over Nord Stream attack
The Federal Prosecutor's Office has indicted a man from Ukraine suspected of involvement in the destruction of Baltic Sea pipelines. He is alleged to have been an officer who commanded a yacht.
Charges brought against Ukrainian soldier over Nord Stream attack
A man from Ukraine must answer in court in Germany for the explosions at the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022. The Federal Prosecutor's Office has brought charges. He is accused of attacking civilian objects. The Chief Federal Prosecutor announced this on Thursday. The Frankfurter Rundschau reported on this.
The suspect's name is Serhij K. He is alleged to have been an officer of the Ukrainian armed forces. According to research by journalist Boris Pancevski, he led the crew of the sailing yacht "Andromeda". Divers are said to have travelled from this ship to the gas pipelines to attach explosive charges.
The case has political dimensions. Pancevski assumes that the perpetrators belonged to a special unit of Ukraine. They allegedly had connections to former military chief Valery Zaluzhny. Whether the government in Kyiv or President Volodymyr Zelensky knew about the operation remains unclear to this day. According to Pancevski, the masterminds were opponents of Zelensky and his former aide Andriy Yermak.
Zelensky himself was cautious in his comments. He said he had not yet seen any official documents when appearing in Dublin. If further information became available, he said they would address it.
Whether a trial will actually take place remains open. Experts consider it likely, however. A court proceeding could strain relations between Germany and Ukraine, as the charges suggest that Ukrainians destroyed the infrastructure of a supporting state.
Source: Google News LU DE