The “Nord Stream” Pipeline Explosion: German Prosecutors Accuse the Ukrainian Government
2 July 18:11
The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office has concluded that the plans to sabotage the “Nord Stream” and “Nord Stream 2” gas pipelines were developed at the behest of Ukrainian government agencies. This is allegedly indicated by details of the charges against a former Ukrainian officer, which the prosecutor’s office made public on Thursday, July 2. "Komersant Ukrainian" reports this, citing DW.
According to investigators, the goal of the sabotage operation was to completely and irreversibly halt Russian gas supplies to Europe. This was intended to deprive Russia of revenue that the Kremlin was using to finance a full-scale war against Ukraine.
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What German investigators are charging the former Ukrainian officer with
The defendant in the case is Serhiy K., a Ukrainian citizen and former military officer. He was detained in August 2025 while on vacation in Italy and subsequently extradited to Germany. He is currently in custody. On the evening of July 1, it was reported that the Federal Prosecutor’s Office had formally charged him. Serhiy K. is charged with complicity in a war crime involving attacks on civilian targets, causing explosions using explosive substances, destroying structures, and disrupting the operations of public utilities.
Investigators allege that following the Russian invasion in February 2022, Serhiy K., together with other military personnel, devised a plan to destroy gas pipelines. To carry out the plan, they formed a group that included several professional divers, a skipper, and an explosives expert. K. personally led the team.
According to the case file, on September 4, 2022, the defendant entered Germany from Poland using a forged Ukrainian passport. In Rostock, through intermediaries and using the forged documents, the group rented a sailing yacht. On this vessel, the saboteurs transported a large quantity of powerful military explosives to international waters near the Danish island of Bornholm. Divers placed charges with timers on the seabed, which detonated on September 26, 2022, causing significant damage to both pipelines.
At the time of the explosions, the gas pipelines—built to transport “blue fuel” from Russia to Germany—were not in operation. Russia had halted gas flows through “Nord Stream” shortly before the incident, likely in an attempt to pressure the West over sanctions. And “Nord Stream 2” was never put into operation.
The Hamburg Higher Regional Court will decide on the further fate of the indictment against Sergei K. and the scheduling of the trial.
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