BERLIN — German federal prosecutors have charged a Ukrainian national over the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, marking the first indictment in one of Europe's most consequential investigations into the underwater explosions that disrupted a major route for Russian gas supplies to Germany.
The indictment, filed with a regional court in Hamburg, accuses the suspect, identified under German privacy laws as Serhii K., of complicity in a war crime, causing an explosion, damaging critical infrastructure and disrupting public services, according to Germany's federal prosecutor. Prosecutors allege he acted together with other military personnel on behalf of Ukrainian state entities in planning and carrying out the attack.
According to the indictment, Serhii K. was serving as an officer in the Ukrainian military in 2022 and allegedly led a team that included professional divers, a skipper and an explosives specialist. Prosecutors say the group used forged documents to enter Germany, chartered the sailing yacht Andromeda and transported military-grade explosives to the Baltic Sea, where they allegedly attached explosive devices to the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm.
German authorities say the alleged objective was to permanently halt Russian gas deliveries through the pipelines and prevent Moscow from using energy revenues to help finance its war against Ukraine. Prosecutors said Germany has jurisdiction because the damaged pipelines terminate at Lubmin on Germany's Baltic coast, making the case directly relevant to the country's energy security.
Serhii K. was arrested in Italy in August 2025 under a European arrest warrant and extradited to Germany in November. He remains in custody and has denied involvement in the sabotage through his legal representatives.
The Ukrainian government has repeatedly denied responsibility for the pipeline explosions. Following news of the indictment, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he did not yet have sufficient information to comment in detail and that Kyiv was awaiting further information from German authorities.
Explosions in September 2022 ruptured three of the four Nord Stream pipeline strings beneath the Baltic Sea, months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The incident sharply intensified geopolitical tensions and contributed to Europe's energy crisis, while prompting competing claims over who was responsible. Russia has blamed Western governments, which have rejected those allegations.
The Hamburg court must now decide whether to accept the indictment and open a trial. German prosecutors have not announced a date for any court proceedings.
