Germany indicts Ukrainian national for war crimes in Nord Stream case

German prosecutors have indicted a Ukrainian national for his alleged role in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea near Bornholm. The indictment charges the individual with complicity in war crimes, as well as "disruption of public supplies" and "explosion and destruction of structures."

The suspect, identified in German media as Serhii K., is accused of having a leading role in the operation. According to the indictment, he and other suspects transported large quantities of explosives to an area near Bornholm, where the explosives were then attached to the underwater gas pipelines. The sabotage occurred in late September 2022.

Serhii K. was arrested in August of the previous year near the Italian coastal town of Rimini based on a European arrest warrant and was extradited to Germany in November, where he has been held in pre-trial detention. German media outlet Die Zeit reported that the accused is a former officer in the Ukrainian military and was serving in the Ukrainian army when the Nord Stream sabotage took place nearly four years ago.

The Ukrainian national has previously denied any involvement in the sabotage. The Nord Stream pipelines, consisting of two lines, had the capacity to transport 55 billion cubic meters of gas annually, enough to supply over 50 million European homes. The pipelines are operated by companies in which Russia's Gazprom is the main shareholder, with the Russian state owning most of Gazprom. Following the explosions, gas bubbles were observed rising to the surface of the Baltic Sea from both pipelines for several days.