Germany Formally Charges Ukrainian for Nord Stream Sabotage

Germany’s Federal Prosecutor General Jens Rommel has brought formal charges against Ukrainian citizen Serhiy Kuznetsov in connection with the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in September 2022. The charges include attacking civilian energy infrastructure, which under international criminal law constitutes a war crime, as well as causing an explosion and destroying structures.

Kuznetsov is believed to have led a sabotage team operating from the yacht "Andromeda." Investigators allege he commanded the group that deployed divers to place homemade bombs on the seabed of the Baltic Sea. The explosions on September 26, 2022, destroyed three of the four pipeline strands.

Kuznetsov is currently in custody in Hamburg. He was arrested last summer while on vacation in Italy and subsequently extradited to Germany. Evidence against him includes phone conversations with relatives and acquaintances while awaiting extradition, as well as data from his mobile phone.

Traces of military explosives hexogen and octogen were found on the yacht "Andromeda." In total, seven suspects have been identified, but one, a soldier, is believed to have been killed in the war against Russia. Investigators uncovered the suspects using data from the Polish Border Guard.

According to The Wall Street Journal, German investigators believe the Ukrainian group acted under the direction of then-Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied any Ukrainian involvement in the pipeline explosions.