German Prosecutors Charge Ukrainian National in Nord Stream Sabotage Case

Germany, July 22 — New details have emerged in the long-running investigation into the 2022 explosions that damaged the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. German authorities have formally charged a Ukrainian citizen in connection with the sabotage, though the case continues to rely heavily on circumstantial evidence.

Ukrainian national Serhiy Kuznetsov (also referred to as Sergei K. in some court documents) faces indictment from the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office. He is accused of leading or participating in the operation that targeted the pipelines on September 26, 2022. According to investigators, Kuznetsov and a group of accomplices allegedly acted on behalf of Ukrainian state agencies.

Prosecutors claim that intercepted communications, including monitored phone calls Kuznetsov made while in custody in Italy, provide supporting details. In one such call with his wife, he reportedly discussed his military service in the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the time of the incident. Some reports also note his prior employment with Ukraine’s Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) years earlier.

However, Kuznetsov has consistently denied any involvement in the sabotage. He maintains he was in Ukraine at the time of the explosions and has accused authorities of pressuring him to confess. His lawyers emphasize that the evidence remains largely circumstantial, and no conclusive proof directly linking him to the act of sabotage has been publicly confirmed.

Kuznetsov was arrested in Italy in August 2025 on a German warrant and later extradited. He has reportedly endured difficult prison conditions, including a hunger strike protesting his treatment. German media outlets such as Stern, ARD, and Die Zeit have reported that the case against him and potential accomplices is built on mobile phone data, yacht rental records, and other indirect indicators rather than ironclad forensic proof.

The indictment accuses the group of planning and executing the underwater operation, which caused significant environmental and economic damage. If convicted, Kuznetsov could face serious charges, including complicity in causing explosions and damaging critical infrastructure.

This development adds another layer to the complex international probe into the Nord Stream blasts, which have been the subject of competing theories and ongoing diplomatic tensions. Ukrainian officials have not yet issued a detailed response to the latest charges, pending full access to the case files. The trial in Hamburg is expected to draw significant attention as it proceeds.