German prosecutors charge Ukrainian ex-officer with Nord Stream sabotage
German federal prosecutors in Hamburg have filed war‑crime charges against a former Ukrainian army officer, identified only as Serhii K. (also named Serhii Kuznetsov), accusing him of leading the September 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines. The indictment alleges he acted “on the orders of state authorities in Ukraine”, coordinated a seven‑person team, chartered the yacht Andromeda, and placed military‑grade explosives near the Danish island of Bornholm to permanently halt Russian gas deliveries and cut off revenue for the Russian war effort.
The suspect was arrested in August 2025 in Italy, extradited to Germany in November 2025, and is now held in Hamburg. He faces charges of attacking civilian infrastructure, causing explosions, damaging property and disrupting public services, with a minimum prison term of three years. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv has not yet received the full indictment details. The case raises diplomatic tensions between Germany and Ukraine and underscores the broader impact of the Nord Stream explosions on European energy security.