A Ukrainian former military officer is on trial in Germany, accused of organizing the operation that destroyed the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022, which significantly impacted Western Europe's access to Russian natural gas. The trial commenced on Wednesday at the Hamburg Higher Regional Court and is expected to continue into February 2027. This marks the first public hearing in a lengthy investigation into the incident.
The defendant, identified only as Serhii K. due to German privacy laws, is alleged to have led a group of Ukrainian agents, including divers and an explosives expert, in what prosecutors describe as one of the largest infrastructure sabotage operations in recent history. Serhii K. denies any involvement and is the sole individual facing charges in this case.
He was arrested in Italy in August 2025 and extradited to Germany in November of the same year. Prosecutors claim he collaborated with other military personnel to plan the operation on behalf of unspecified Ukrainian state entities. They allege that he entered Germany from Poland using a forged Ukrainian passport approximately three weeks prior to the attack. The group reportedly used a sailboat rented in Rostock to reach the vicinity of the Danish island of Bornholm, where they allegedly attached military-grade explosives to the pipelines on the seabed.
German prosecutors assert that targeting civilian infrastructure in this manner constitutes a war crime. On September 26, 2022, Swedish seismologists recorded multiple explosions, occurring 17 hours apart, resulting in the rupture of three out of four pipelines and the release of significant amounts of methane into the atmosphere. Nord Stream 1 had previously supplied about half of Germany's natural gas imports, while Nord Stream 2 was constructed but never operational due to Berlin's decision to withdraw approval shortly before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has denied any involvement in the destruction of the pipelines and has previously reduced gas supplies in response to European sanctions. On Monday, Russian officials expressed anticipation for a "just verdict" identifying those responsible for the attacks. Another individual, identified as Vladimir Z., who prosecutors allege was part of the diving team, was arrested in Croatia in August, and a Croatian court has approved his extradition to Germany.