Ukrainian ex‑officer tried in Germany for alleged Nord Stream sabotage

A former Ukrainian military officer identified only as Serhii K. appeared before the Hamburg Higher Regional Court on Wednesday to face charges of organising the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022. The trial, which is expected to continue until February 2025, marks the first public hearing of evidence gathered during a multi‑year investigation into the attacks that severed Western Europe’s main source of Russian natural gas.

Prosecutors allege that Serhii K., now 50, led a team of Ukrainian agents that included divers and an explosives expert. According to the indictment, the group travelled to Germany via Poland on a forged Ukrainian passport about three weeks before the explosions. They are said to have hired a sailboat in the northern city of Rostock, sailed to waters near the Danish island of Bornholm, and attached military‑grade explosives equipped with timers to the pipelines on the seabed.

German authorities claim the operation was planned on behalf of unidentified Ukrainian state entities, and that Serhii K. coordinated the overall mission. He was arrested in Italy in August 2025 under an international warrant and extradited to Germany in November 2025. The prosecution asserts that the sabotage constituted an attack on civilian infrastructure, violating international law.

Serhii K. has denied any involvement in the Nord Stream blasts. The Ukrainian government has also rejected any role in the sabotage, a stance that has added diplomatic sensitivity to the case given Germany’s strong military support for Kyiv. Russia, which has long blamed Ukraine for the attacks, said it expects a “just verdict” from the German courts.

The trial will allow the public to hear the evidence that investigators have compiled over several years, including details of the planning, logistics and execution of the operation. It also provides a rare opportunity for German courts to examine the alleged links between Ukrainian military personnel and the destruction of the pipelines, an issue that has remained politically contentious.

If convicted, Serhii K. faces charges related to terrorism, sabotage and the use of illegal weapons. The outcome of the proceedings is likely to influence ongoing discussions about accountability for the Nord Stream incidents and could have broader implications for Ukraine’s relations with its European partners.