German federal prosecutors have filed charges against a Ukrainian man accused of helping to mastermind the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines that once transported Russian natural gas to Germany, his lawyers confirmed on Wednesday.
It is the first indictment against an alleged participant in the blasts, which rendered the Baltic Sea pipelines inoperable.
Germany’s top prosecutorial authority in Karlsruhe did not immediately confirm details of the indictment.
According to German media reports, however, federal prosecutors accuse the suspect, identified only as Serhiy K under German privacy laws, of war crimes, causing a blast with explosive material and destroying infrastructure.
Investigators believe Serhiy K coordinated the operation, according to earlier statements by prosecutors.
A state security panel at the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg must now decide whether to admit the charges and when a trial could begin.
The explosions near the Danish Baltic island of Bornholm in September 2022 severely damaged both Nord Stream pipelines, bringing gas flows to a complete halt. Before the attack, Nord Stream 1 transported Russian natural gas to Germany, while Nord Stream 2 had not yet entered service.
In the months following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow had already repeatedly reduced or suspended deliveries through Nord Stream 1.
Court details alleged operation
Serhiy K was arrested in August 2025 while on holiday with his family on Italy’s Adriatic coast under a European arrest warrant. He fought extradition to Germany for months and at one point went on hunger strike, claiming he had been mistreated.
He was ultimately extradited to Germany on November 27. The following day, an investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe ordered that the arrest warrant be enforced. Serhiy K has been in pre-trial detention in Germany since then.
A complaint his legal team brought against his detention was rejected by the Federal Court of Justice in December.
In that ruling, Germany’s highest criminal court also described how investigators believe the operation unfolded.
According to the court, Serhiy K boarded the sailing yacht Andromeda at the port of Wiek on the German island of Rügen by September 8, 2022, at the latest, together with six accomplices: a skipper, an explosives expert and four deep-sea divers. The yacht had been chartered for several weeks by an intermediary.
Investigators believe the group attached four timed explosive devices to the pipelines during dives near Bornholm at depths of up to 80 metres. The explosives were described as high-performance military-grade devices with massive destructive power that could detonate even at great depths.
The devices exploded on September 26, 2022.
Germany rejects immunity arguments
Serhiy K is alleged to have been an officer in a special unit of the Ukrainian armed forces at the time. His Italian lawyer had questioned before his extradition whether he could be held criminally responsible for the alleged sabotage on the basis of his military status.
German authorities have said they believe the sabotage was carried out on behalf of a foreign state. However, in their view, that does not prevent criminal proceedings against the man in Germany.
The Federal Court of Justice said in its December ruling that immunity under international law for state officials does not apply to “acts of violence orchestrated by intelligence services.” It also said Serhiy K likely could not rely on so-called combatant privilege, under which lawful wartime acts by members of the armed forces of a party to a conflict are not punishable.
The court said covert action by military personnel is not covered by that privilege and that the pipelines were considered civilian objects.
The fact that the alleged acts took place in international waters also did not prevent German jurisdiction, the court said. Germany had the authority to prosecute because the consequences of the explosions were also felt on German territory, it said.
The court also confirmed the jurisdiction of federal prosecutors, a finding that could be relevant for any trial in Hamburg.
The criminal investigation faced another setback last year when an alleged diver involved in the attacks was arrested in Poland. He was temporarily held in custody, but Polish authorities rejected Germany’s extradition request and released him.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at the time it was not in Poland’s interest to charge the man or extradite him to another country.