The German prosecutor’s office has sentenced a Ukrainian in the case of the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline
2.07.2026 - 13:38
According to the investigation, the man coordinated a group that planted explosives on gas pipelines near the island of Bornholm from a sailing yacht in September 2022.
The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office has charged a 50-year-old Ukrainian citizen in the case of the explosion of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in 2022, Al Jazeera reports.
This is the first indictment in one of the most high-profile sabotage cases in Europe. The suspect, in accordance with German privacy rules, is identified only as Serhiy K. According to the prosecutor’s office, he is suspected of attacking civilian energy infrastructure, causing an explosion and destroying structures. He himself denies involvement.
According to the investigation, Serhiy K. coordinated a group that used the sailing yacht Andromeda to plant explosive devices on gas pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022.
The investigation suggests that the crew consisted of a coordinator, a skipper, four deep-sea divers and an explosives specialist. Serhiy K., according to the court, was the coordinator and leader of the group on board, and not a diver or a bomb disposal expert. At the time of the events, he was probably an officer in a special forces unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to the investigation, the group attached four explosive devices to the pipelines during dives to a depth of up to 80 meters. The explosive is described as high-yield, military-grade. The devices detonated on September 26, 2022, disabling both gas pipelines — key routes for supplying Russian gas to Europe.
The suspect was arrested in Italy in August 2025 and extradited to Germany in November. In January 2026, the Federal Court of Justice of Germany rejected his appeal, confirming the legality of his detention and Germany’s jurisdiction. The investigation has previously been hampered. One of the alleged divers was arrested in Poland, but Polish authorities rejected Germany’s extradition request and released him.
