Charges filed over Nord Stream pipeline sabotage
The German Federal Prosecutor's Office has filed charges against a Ukrainian citizen who allegedly coordinated the attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022.
Charges filed over Nord Stream pipeline sabotage
The German Federal Prosecutor's Office filed charges on Wednesday against Ukrainian citizen Serhij Kuznetsov. The man is alleged to have coordinated the sabotage operation against the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in September 2022 – reported Deutsche Welle.
According to the charges, Kuznetsov led a seven-member sabotage team that, with the help of the sailing yacht Andromeda, laid explosive charges on the gas pipelines running through the Baltic Sea. The explosions rendered the pipelines, which connected Russia to Germany, unusable.
The accused faces charges including disruption of public utilities, preparation of an explosion, damage to structures and aiding war crimes. Following a decision by the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) in December, the act was carried out with high probability on the instructions of a foreign state – specifically Ukrainian government authorities – as an intelligence operation.
The suspect was arrested in Italy in August 2025 on the basis of a German arrest warrant and extradited to Germany. In the course of the investigation, authorities found traces of military explosives on board the said yacht. Further evidence of his involvement was found on the suspect's mobile phone. In intercepted telephone conversations with relatives and acquaintances, the man himself spoke about the sabotage.
According to the charges, the group's objective was to destroy the gas pipelines connecting Russia to Europe. Altogether, seven suspects were identified, but one of them, a soldier, has since died in the Ukrainian war. Investigators traced the suspects with the help of control data from the Polish border protection authorities.
Serhij Kuznetsov denies the allegations. His lawyer stated that in his view the court would ultimately acquit his client. The trial is expected to begin in autumn at the Hanseatic Court of Appeal in Hamburg.
Source: Index.hu
Source: Index