What to know about the Nord Stream pipeline explosions trial opening in Germany this week
A former Ukrainian army officer is going on trial in Germany this week over undersea explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany four years ago in one of the biggest acts of sabotage in Europe since the Second World War.
The suspect faces charges of causing an explosion, damaging property, disrupting public service and being an “accomplice to war crimes” by attacking civilian infrastructure, according to prosecutors.
The attack laid bare Europe’s dependence on Russian energy but also raised sensitive questions about Ukraine and its Western allies.
While international observers initially blamed Moscow, there are now increasing suggestions that Ukrainian state security agencies may have been involved — even though Ukraine counts Germany as one of its closest allies.
According to German privacy rules, the suspect will be identified in court only as Serhii K., although he was publicly named as Serhii Kuznietsov in extradition proceedings in Italy.
Here’s what we know about the alleged ringleader of the attack and one of the most politically charged court cases of wartime sabotage that will be heard at the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg starting this Wednesday.
Prosecutors say Nord Stream plot aimed to cut Russian gas revenues for war
The explosions on Sept. 26, 2022, damaged pipelines that were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea.
At the time, European countries were moving to wean themselves off Russian energy sources, following the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Prosecutors say the aim of the plot was to permanently disrupt gas deliveries and prevent Russia from using the revenues to finance its military operations.
The defendant and others allegedly used a yacht that set off from the German port of Rostock. It had been hired from a German company using forged IDs and with the help of intermediaries.
The explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which was Russia’s main natural gas supply route to Germany until Moscow cut off supplies in August 2022. They also damaged Nord Stream 2, which never entered service because Germany suspended its certification process shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The suspect allegedly organized and carried out the detonation of at least four bombs between 14 and 27 kilograms (around 31 to 62 pounds) at a depth of 70 to 80 meters (230 feet to 263 feet) near the Danish island of Bornholm.
He was detained in August in an Italian village, where officers raided a bungalow where he was staying with his family. Police said he surrendered without resistance. He was extradited to Germany in November.
