German prosecutors have alleged that Ukrainian state authorities were responsible for the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines connecting Russia and Europe.
In a statement released on Thursday, prosecutors said the main suspect, identified as Serhii K., was formally charged on Wednesday.
Prosecutors allege that he and six accomplices carried out the operation under the direction of Ukrainian state authorities.
According to the investigation, Serhii K., now 50, was serving as an officer in the Ukrainian army at the time, while the other six suspects were also members of the military.
Prosecutors claim the group intended to destroy both the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in order to permanently stop gas deliveries through the routes and deprive Russia of natural gas revenues that could be used to finance its war in Ukraine.
Investigators say the operation began with the suspects travelling from Ukraine to Germany using forged Ukrainian passports. They allegedly rented a yacht, the Andromeda, from a company in the northern German city of Rostock.
Authorities said traces of the military-grade explosives HMX and RDX were later found aboard the vessel. The explosives were allegedly attached to the underwater pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm on 22 September 2022 using timed devices.
The charges state that the explosives detonated four days later, on 26 September, severely damaging the pipelines. Although neither pipeline was operating at the time, prosecutors noted that before the sabotage, Nord Stream 1 had supplied roughly half of Germany’s annual natural gas imports.
German media reported on Wednesday that Serhii K. faces charges including complicity in a war crime, disrupting public services, causing an explosion and damaging critical infrastructure.
The case follows his extradition from Italy, where he was arrested in August 2025 on a German warrant.
Serhii K. denies the allegations. His lawyer told Reuters that he expects his client to be acquitted.
The allegations are diplomatically sensitive, as Germany remains one of Ukraine’s largest military supporters in its fight against Russia’s invasion.
