Germany Files War Crime Charges Against Ex-Ukrainian Officer Over 2022 Nord Stream Pipeline Blasts

German prosecutors have charged a former Ukrainian army officer over the 2022 Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions, accusing him of helping carry out the attack on behalf of Ukrainian state authorities.

The charges, filed before a regional court in Hamburg, mark the first time Germany’s investigation into the Nord Stream sabotage has reached court.

Prosecutors accuse the suspect, identified under German privacy laws only as Serhii K., of taking part in an attack on civilian infrastructure that damaged major gas pipelines linking Russia and Europe through the Baltic Sea.

The explosions in September 2022 damaged Nord Stream 1, a key route for Russian gas exports to Europe, and one branch of Nord Stream 2, which had not yet entered service.

The blasts happened months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and were described as sabotage by both Russia and Western countries.

According to German prosecutors, Serhii K. was serving as an officer in the Ukrainian army in 2022 and helped plan the attack with other military personnel while acting on behalf of Ukrainian state entities.

They said the aim was to permanently stop gas deliveries through the pipelines and prevent Russia from using gas export revenues to fund its war.

He has been charged with directing an attack against civilian objects, causing an explosion, destroying infrastructure and disrupting public services.

Under German law, the charge of attacking civilian objects carries a minimum prison sentence of three years, or one year in less serious cases.

Prosecutors said Serhii K. led a team that included professional divers, a skipper and an explosives expert. They allege the group entered Germany in September 2022 using a forged Ukrainian passport before boarding a yacht rented with fake identification documents.

The team then allegedly transported military-grade explosives through international waters to an area near the Danish island of Bornholm. Prosecutors said the explosives were attached to the pipelines on the Baltic Sea seabed before time fuses were set.

German broadcaster ARD previously reported that investigators found traces of military-grade explosives on the yacht, Andromeda, which had departed from the German port of Rostock.

The broadcaster also said investigators had identified seven suspects, one of whom has since died in the war.

Serhii K. was arrested in Italy in August after police raided a bungalow where he was staying with his family. He surrendered without resistance and was extradited to Germany in November.

German prosecutors confirmed that the man now charged is the same suspect arrested last year.

A second Ukrainian suspect was arrested near Warsaw a month later, but a Polish court rejected Germany’s request to extradite him.

Serhii K. has denied any involvement in the pipeline blasts. His German legal team did not immediately comment on Thursday.

However, his Italian lawyer, Nicola Canestrini, welcomed the indictment, saying the defence wanted the facts to be examined publicly.

German courts say they have jurisdiction because the pipelines end at Lubmin in the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the damage affected Germany’s energy security and internal safety.

The Nord Stream pipelines were built to carry Russian natural gas directly to Germany under the Baltic Sea.

At the time of the explosions, Russia had already stopped gas deliveries through Nord Stream 1, blaming Western sanctions and technical problems. European countries, however, accused Moscow of using energy supplies as a political tool.

The attack damaged three of the four Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines and added to concerns over Europe’s energy security as countries sought to reduce their reliance on Russian gas after the invasion of Ukraine.

The blasts also led to years of speculation over who was responsible. Russia blamed the United States, an allegation repeatedly denied by the White House. Russia, Ukraine, the United States and Britain have all been accused or suspected by different parties since the attack.

In the indictment, German prosecutors said Serhii K. and his accomplices acted on the orders of Ukrainian state authorities.

However, German intelligence officials have previously said they were not convinced Ukraine was behind the attack and suggested it could have been a Russian false-flag operation.

Ukrainian authorities said on Thursday they did not yet have enough information to respond to Germany’s allegations.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that he had not received the full details of the indictment and that it was too early to comment. He said the relevant authorities from both countries would communicate once more information became available.

U.S. media reported in 2024 that Zelenskyy initially approved the operation before later calling it off after pressure from the CIA, but that the team carried out the attack anyway, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Zelenskyy has previously said his government had no knowledge of any plan to destroy the pipelines.

The Hamburg court will now decide whether the case should proceed to trial as Germany continues its investigation into one of the most significant attacks on Europe’s energy infrastructure.

References: Reuters, The Telegraph