Germany charges Ukrainian suspect in Nord Stream sabotage case

Editor's Note: This article has been updated to include comments from President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Germany's federal prosecutor has filed charges against a Ukrainian national suspected of sabotaging the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022, the German news outlet Tagesschau (ARD) reported on July 1.

The suspect is Serhii Kuznietsov, who was extradited to Germany in November 2025.

A series of explosions in September 2022 rocked the controversial Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, destroying three out of four key gas pipelines linking Russia and Germany. The unsolved sabotage case fueled international speculation and competing accusations.

German Prosecutor General Jens Rommel has filed official charges against Kuznietsov, marking the first time a suspect in the Nord Stream bombing has been charged, Tagesschau reported. He is being charged with attacks on civilian energy infrastructure, a war crime under international law.

Kuznietsov is being detained in Hamburg, where he will stand trial.

German investigators allege that Kuznietsov, a former soldier, led the sabotage group. They claim that he commanded the yacht "Andromeda," from which a team of divers allegedly carried out the attack against the pipelines.

According to German officials, Kuznietsov incriminated himself in phone calls with friends and acquaintances. Investigators also say they found evidence linking him to the sabotage operation on his cell phone.

Speaking at a press conference in Dublin, President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was too soon to comment on the charging of Kuznietsov in detail. He also said Kyiv would communicate about the case with officials in Berlin.

"We do not know all the details of this process now," Zelensky said.

"We have not officially received all the details, at least I have not seen them. The relevant authorities of our countries will connect, and when we receive more details, we will probably be able to react. It is too early to say yet."

Ukrainian authorities, including Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, have previously raised concerns over the conditions Kuznietsov has faced in detention, such as restrictions on mobile calls, neglect of his vegan dietary needs, limited outdoor exercise, and lack of winter footwear.

The Ukrainian government has also denied any involvement in the suspected sabotage.

The case of Kuznietsov and other Ukrainian nationals wanted by Germany has become a diplomatic flashpoint among European states. Germany is the only country still investigating the explosions, while neighboring Denmark and Sweden dropped their probes in 2024 without holding anyone to account.

Kuznietsov was arrested in August 2025 near the Italian town of Rimini under an European arrest warrant. In October, Italy's Supreme Court struck down a decision to extradite him to Germany, sending the case back to a new panel of judges.

Polish authorities detained another Ukrainian citizen, identified as Volodymyr Z., in the Nord Stream sabotage case in September 2025. A Polish court later rejected his extradition to Germany, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk saying that the suspect had been released from custody.

The Nord Stream pipelines were built to transport Russian gas to western Europe. Prior to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, over half of Russian gas intended for Germany flowed through Nord Stream 1.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which never became operational, had long been a flashpoint in European energy politics. Even before the all-out war, critics said it deepened Germany's dependence on Russian gas and undermined European energy security.

Both pipelines are currently non-operational.