Almost four years after the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office has indicted the alleged leader of the sabotage team, Ukrainian national Serhii K. A spokeswoman for the Karlsruhe-based authority confirmed the indictment on Wednesday evening without providing further details. The Berlin law firm Menaker, which has taken on the defense, also confirmed the charges against its client.
During the act of sabotage in September 2022, the pipelines built to transport Russian gas to Germany were severely damaged by explosive devices. They were not in operation at the time. Russia had halted gas supplies via Nord Stream 1 shortly before that, presumably in response to Western sanctions imposed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Nord Stream 2 never entered service.
Image: Danish Defenvce Command
The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office took over the investigation shortly after the act of sabotage, in October 2022. In August 2025, K. was apprehended while on vacation in Italy and subsequently extradited to Germany. He is currently in pre-trial detention. An appeal against his detention was rejected by the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe in December. The court’s ruling outlines how the attacks are believed to have unfolded, based on the state of the investigation at the time.
According to the findings, K. was an officer in a special forces unit of the Ukrainian armed forces. Together with six accomplices, he allegedly set out from Rügen on a sailing yacht named “Andromeda,” which had been chartered for several weeks. K. was reportedly tasked with coordinating the group’s activities. During several dives, the group placed four explosive devices—described as “high-performance explosives with massive destructive power”—on the seabed at depths of up to 80 meters. These devices detonated on September 26, 2022.
By late 2025, investigators proceeded on the assumption that the attacks were likely carried out on behalf of a foreign state. Nevertheless, the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) authorized potential prosecution in Germany, ruling that there is no immunity for “acts of violence orchestrated by intelligence services” that infringe upon the sovereignty of another affected state. Furthermore, the court noted in December that the pipelines terminated on German territory.
Federal prosecutors have charged K. with attacks on civilian energy infrastructure, causing an explosion, and the destruction of structures. The Higher Regional Court of Hamburg will now decide on the indictment and a potential trial. ARD, the Süddeutsche Zeitung, and Die Zeit were the first to report on the charges.
Author: AFP – smb/mt
Sources: AFP Press Portal