German Prosecutors Charge Former Ukrainian Officer over 2022 Nord Stream Pipeline Explosions

German federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against a former Ukrainian army officer identified as Serhii K. for his alleged role in the September 2022 explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea. The charges, filed on or about July 2 2026, include causing an explosion, damaging property, disrupting public service and being an accomplice to war crimes by attacking civilian objects.

Prosecutors stated that the alleged aim of the operation was to permanently disrupt gas deliveries and prevent Russia from using revenues to finance military operations. The explosions on September 26 2022 ruptured Nord Stream 1, which had been Russia’s main natural gas supply route to Germany until Moscow cut off supplies in August 2022, and damaged Nord Stream 2, which never entered service after Germany suspended its certification process shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Serhii K. Is alleged to have led a team of seven accomplices, including professional divers and an explosives expert. He is accused of entering Germany in September 2022 using a forged passport, hiring a yacht from a German company in Rostock with forged documents and intermediaries, and transporting explosives near the Danish island of Bornholm.

Authorities detained Serhii K. In August 2025 in an Italian village after raiding a bungalow where he was staying with his family. He surrendered without resistance and was extradited to Germany in November 2025. Serhii K. has denied involvement.

Russia has accused the United States of staging the explosions, a charge Washington has denied. The pipelines were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany.