OMM Redaksiyası
Germany is preparing to put a Ukrainian national on trial over the September 2022 explosions that damaged the “Nord Stream” gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. Prosecutors allege Ukrainian state authorities ordered the operation.
The suspect, identified as Serhii K., is accused of helping lead a group that carried out the sabotage. His indictment is the first time German prosecutors have formally brought the case before a court.
A second suspect, identified by Germany as Vladimir Z., is being held in Croatia and is challenging extradition. He was previously detained in Poland.
What happened to the pipelines?
“Nord Stream” is a network of offshore natural gas pipelines linking Russia and Germany beneath the Baltic Sea. The four lines of “Nord Stream” and “Nord Stream 2” had a combined annual capacity of 110 billion cubic metres.
Construction of the first “Nord Stream” pipeline was completed in 2011, and it began operating in 2012. “Nord Stream 2” was completed in September 2021 but never entered service.
In September 2022, “Nord Stream AG”, the pipelines’ operator, confirmed damage to both systems after Danish and Swedish authorities reported explosions and gas leaks in sections crossing their waters. Pressure later stabilized and the leaks stopped within several weeks. Russia opened a criminal case on charges of international terrorism.
Russian President Vladimir Putin later called the United States and countries with alternative energy supply routes to Europe, including Ukraine and Poland, “beneficiaries” of the disruption.
Who has been accused, and what do prosecutors allege?
Western officials initially suspected Russia, but German investigators later focused on possible Ukrainian involvement. The United States, Poland and the United Kingdom have also faced allegations, which they denied.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called claims of Russian involvement “quite predictable and also predictably stupid,” saying Moscow had lost a route for gas supplies to Europe. The United States called the allegations “Russia’s disinformation,” while Poland described them as “completely groundless insinuations.”
In August, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Germany should not prosecute suspects accused of blowing up the pipelines, adding that those who built the project “should be ashamed, not those who disabled them.” The United Kingdom rejected allegations as false claims made by Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied Kyiv’s involvement, saying the government had never officially taken part in an operation related to the explosions. He said Ukraine had held high-level talks with Germany and that German officials knew Kyiv had not planned or carried out the operation.
Serhii K. was detained near Rimini, Italy, in August 2025 on suspicion of involvement in the sabotage. He was extradited to Germany three months later and has remained in pretrial detention in Hamburg.
Prosecutors have charged him with causing an explosion, damaging property, disrupting public services and being an “accomplice to war crimes” by targeting civilian objects.
They allege that Serhii K. was an officer in the Ukrainian army at the time and planned the operation with other military personnel “acting on behalf of state bodies in Ukraine.” Prosecutors say the aim was to destroy both pipelines, permanently stop Russian gas deliveries and prevent Moscow from using energy revenues to finance its war against Ukraine.
Investigators say the suspects travelled to Germany using forged Ukrainian passports and hired a yacht called “Andromeda”. Traces of the explosives HMX and RDX were found aboard the vessel.
According to prosecutors, the explosives were attached to the pipelines near Denmark’s Bornholm island using timers by Sept. 22, 2022. They detonated four days later, causing extensive damage and making the pipelines inoperable.
Serhii K. denies the allegations. The trial is due to open in a Hamburg court on Wednesday.
