Ayhan Şimşek
01 July 2026•Update: 01 July 2026
German prosecutors have charged a Ukrainian man with leading the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, accusing him of committing a war crime, media reports said on Wednesday.
Serhii K., a former Ukrainian soldier being held in pretrial detention in Hamburg, faces charges that include detonating explosives and targeting critical civilian infrastructure – an act that qualifies as a war crime under international law – according to public broadcaster ARD.
The suspect was arrested last summer while on vacation in Italy and extradited to Germany. His trial is scheduled to begin this fall at the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg.
German investigators allege that K. commanded the sabotage operation in spring 2022 from the sailing yacht Andromeda, which they say served as the floating base for the mission. Traces of military-grade explosives were found aboard the vessel, according to prosecutors.
Investigators identified K. and other suspects in part through Polish border control records. While in Italian custody awaiting extradition, K. allegedly incriminated himself during phone calls with relatives and acquaintances discussing the attacks, ARD reported. Security sources said evidence recovered from his mobile phone also linked him to the operation.
The explosions in September 2022 severely damaged the twin Nord Stream pipelines, which ran beneath the Baltic Sea and were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany.
The Ukrainian government has repeatedly denied any involvement in the sabotage. Some media reports have suggested the operation may have been authorized by then-army commander Valery Zaluzhny without President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s knowledge.
