German prosecutors have charged a Ukrainian former soldier with leading the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, accusing him of committing a war crime, according to media reports.
The suspect, identified as Serhii K., is being held in pretrial detention in Hamburg and faces charges including detonating explosives and attacking critical civilian infrastructure, ARD reported.
Prosecutors allege he directed the operation from the sailing yacht Andromeda, which investigators believe served as the mission’s base. They said traces of military-grade explosives were found aboard the vessel.
German authorities said the suspect was arrested in Italy last summer and later extradited to Germany. His trial is expected to begin later this year at the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg.
Investigators said they identified the suspect and others through Polish border records, while evidence recovered from his mobile phone and statements allegedly made during phone calls while in Italian custody further linked him to the operation.
The Nord Stream pipelines, which transported Russian natural gas to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea, were severely damaged by explosions in September 2022.
The Ukrainian government has repeatedly denied any involvement in the sabotage. Some media reports have suggested the operation may have been authorised by former army chief Valery Zaluzhny without the knowledge of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.