Germany links Ukrainian nationals to Nord Stream pipeline sabotage

German prosecutors have advanced their investigation into the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions, alleging that Ukrainian nationals were involved in the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas lines beneath the Baltic Sea.

An indictment filed against Serhii K., a former Ukrainian army officer, alleges he helped organize a group consisting of professional divers, a skipper, and an explosives specialist. Prosecutors claim the group acted on orders from Ukrainian state agencies to disrupt gas supplies and prevent Russian revenue from natural gas exports. The operation reportedly involved traveling to the Baltic Sea on a chartered sailing yacht using false identities.

In a related development, deep-sea diver Volodymyr Zhuravlev was recently detained in Pula, Croatia. The first criminal trial regarding the pipeline bombings is scheduled to begin on October 26 in Hamburg, Germany.