A Ukrainian national has been charged in Germany in connection with the Nord Stream case
The German Federal Prosecutor's Office has officially charged Ukrainian citizen Serhiy Kuznetsov in connection with the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
According to media reports, the case involves explosions targeting energy infrastructure, and the investigation is moving toward the next stage of legal proceedings.
According to ARD, as well as the newspapers Süddeutsche Zeitung and Die Zeit, Attorney General Jens Rommel has for the first time filed charges against the Ukrainian suspected of sabotage against the “Nord Stream” gas pipelines. Germany’s top prosecutor accuses the Ukrainian of attacks on civilian energy infrastructure—which constitutes a war crime under international criminal law—of causing an explosion, and of destroying structures.
According to investigators, Serhiy Kuznetsov led the sabotage group. He is believed to have commanded operations aboard the yacht “Andromeda,” from which, according to the investigation, divers were deployed in the fall of 2022 to attack the gas pipelines. The Ukrainian is currently in custody in Hamburg after being detained last summer while on vacation in Italy and subsequently extradited to Germany.
According to ARD, SZ, and Die Zeit, the evidence against the Ukrainian is compelling. According to the investigation, while in Italy awaiting extradition, Kuznetsov spoke on the phone with relatives and acquaintances about the attacks—and thereby incriminated himself. Additionally, according to sources in security circles, investigators apparently found evidence on his cell phone linking him to the pipeline explosions.
A Ukrainian team of several civilian divers allegedly planted homemade bombs on the bottom of the Baltic Sea nearly four years ago. On September 26, 2022, the explosive devices, equipped with timers, detonated and destroyed three of the four lines of the “Nord Stream 1” and “Nord Stream 2” gas pipelines.
During the investigation, experts from the Federal Criminal Police Office and the Federal Police discovered traces of a mixture of the military explosives hexogen and octogen on a yacht named “Andromeda.” A total of seven suspects were identified, but one of them, a soldier, is believed to have died in the war against Russia.
Investigators identified the suspects, in part, thanks to data from checks conducted by the Polish Border Guard. Among this information was data regarding Sergei Kuznetsov.
This was reported by the ARD Tagesschau news service.
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