A Ukrainian former military officer, identified as Serhii K., is on trial in Germany over the September 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions. The case marks the first public hearing of evidence gathered during a years-long investigation.
Prosecutors accuse him of organizing a team of Ukrainian agents, including divers and an explosives expert, on behalf of unidentified Ukrainian state entities. They allege the operation was intended to permanently halt gas deliveries through the pipelines and prevent Russia from using natural gas revenue to finance its war in Ukraine. The group allegedly used a rented sailboat, the Andromeda, hired in Rostock, to reach waters near the Danish island of Bornholm, where they placed timed military-grade explosives on the seabed.
Three of the four Nord Stream pipelines were ruptured on September 26, 2022, releasing large amounts of methane into the atmosphere. Swedish seismologists detected several blasts in the area, approximately 17 hours apart. Prosecutors allege Serhii K. entered Germany using a forged Ukrainian passport about three weeks before the attack. Reports cited by Reuters say the Andromeda carried six people, five men and one woman, and departed Rostock on September 6 before returning on September 23.
A second suspect, identified as Vladimir Z. and reported elsewhere as Volodymyr Zhuravlev, is believed by prosecutors to have been one of the divers. He was arrested in Croatia. The trial is expected to continue into February 2027.
