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German prosecutors have filed charges against a Ukrainian national over the blowing up of the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea in 2022.<\/p>\n
The suspect, named only as Serhii K under German privacy laws, is alleged to have led and co-ordinated the attack on the pipelines that transported natural gas from Russia to Germany, German media reports say.<\/p>\n
They say he is the same person arrested in Italy last summer and extradited to Germany in November. He has denied involvement.<\/p>\n
No-one has admitted carrying out the attack, and Ukraine has denied involvement in the case which may have serious implications for its relationship with Germany.<\/p>\n
Berlin law firm Menaker, which represents the Ukrainian man, told Reuters news agency that an indictment had been served on Wednesday. It gave no details of the charges.<\/p>\n
Federal prosecutors confirmed for another news agency, AFP, that a man had been charged over the explosion.<\/p>\n
According to German public broadcaster DW, which cited German media reports, the suspect is accused of leading a team of seven accomplices in an operation to destroy three of the four Nord Stream gas pipelines.<\/p>\n
He is also accused of attacking civil energy infrastructure, as well as causing an explosion and destroying infrastructure.<\/p>\n
The attack released record-breaking amounts of methane into the Baltic Sea and left the multi-billion dollar infrastructure inoperable.<\/p>\n
A month after his arrest, a second Ukrainian suspect was detained at his home close to Poland’s capital Warsaw on another arrest warrant issued by Germany.<\/p>\n
Although Nord Stream 2 never went into operation, Nord Stream 1’s two pipelines had provided a steady supply, along a 1,200km (745-mile) stretch of the Baltic Sea, from the Russian coast to north-eastern Germany.<\/p>\n
Shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Germany cancelled its process to approve Nord Stream 2, which was 100% owned by Russian gas giant Gazprom. Months later, Russia shut down Nord Stream 1, blaming problems with equipment.<\/p>\n
Then, on 26 September 2022, several explosions were recorded that ruptured three of the four pipelines.<\/p>\n