German prosecutors charge Ukrainian in Nord Stream sabotage

German prosecutors have filed criminal charges against a Ukrainian national for his alleged role in the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, marking the first indictment in the case that crippled a major European energy link. The charges were filed on Wednesday, July 1, 2026.

The suspect, identified as Serhii Kuznietsov, is accused of leading a group that carried out underwater explosions on September 26, 2022, which ruptured three of the four pipelines running under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany. He faces charges including attacks on civilian energy infrastructure, causing an explosion, and destruction of built structures.

Kuznietsov, a 49-year-old former Ukrainian soldier, was arrested in Italy in August 2025 and extradited to Germany the following November. He is currently detained in Hamburg, where he will stand trial. German investigators allege he commanded a team of up to seven accomplices who used a chartered yacht named "Andromeda" to execute the sabotage. Prosecutors claim he incriminated himself in phone calls while in custody and that evidence was found on his cell phone.

The attack caused massive methane leaks into the Baltic Sea and rendered the...