Key facts
- A Ukrainian ex-military officer, identified as Serhii K., is on trial in Germany for allegedly organizing the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022.
- Prosecutors allege Serhii K. worked with other military members to plan the operation on behalf of unidentified Ukrainian state entities.
- Serhii K. denies any involvement in the blasts that ruptured the pipelines.
- The explosions destroyed infrastructure and damaged public services, which German prosecutors consider a war crime.
- A second suspect, identified as Vladimir Z., has been arrested in Croatia.
- Kyiv has denied any involvement in the sabotage.
A Ukrainian ex-military officer, identified as Serhii K., is on trial in Hamburg, Germany, accused of orchestrating the secret operation that blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022. Prosecutors allege that Serhii K. led a group of Ukrainian agents, including divers and an explosives expert, to carry out the sabotage on behalf of unidentified Ukrainian state entities. The trial offers the first public examination of evidence gathered during a lengthy investigation that has created diplomatic friction for Germany, a key supporter of Ukraine.
Serhii K., arrested in Italy on an international warrant, denies any involvement in the blasts that ruptured the 1,200-km Baltic Sea pipeline. The Ukrainian government has also denied any role, a sensitive issue given Germany's significant military aid to Kyiv. Russia has stated it expects a verdict that identifies those responsible for the operation.
German prosecutors contend that Serhii K.'s alleged actions, including attacking civilian targets and destroying infrastructure, constitute a war crime aimed at disrupting Russia's foreign revenue following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He is the sole defendant in this trial, though Croatian authorities have arrested another individual, Vladimir Z., believed to be part of the diving team.
The Nord Stream explosions effectively ended Germany's reliance on Russian natural gas, though Moscow had already reduced supplies amid Western sanctions. Germany previously imported half its natural gas via Nord Stream 1, the primary Russian pipeline to Western Europe, with a twin pipeline, Nord Stream 2, built but never approved for operation by Germany before the invasion.
Initial Western officials had pointed to Russia, which denied involvement and called the suggestion of sabotaging its own pipelines absurd. The Nord Stream system, built by Gazprom, was central to economic ties between Russia and Germany. The blasts, detected by Swedish seismologists on September 26, 2022, caused significant methane gas leaks. Prosecutors claim Serhii K. used a forged Ukrainian passport and hired a sailboat from Rostock to carry out the operation.