German prosecutors have charged a Ukrainian national over his alleged role in the September 2022 bombing of the Nord Stream pipelines, which previously brought natural gas from Russia to Germany.
The prosecutors say that the man, identified as Serhii K, a former Ukrainian military officer, led a sabotage team on the yacht Andromeda, from which the attack was allegedly carried out on behalf of Ukrainian authorities.
Serhii K, who was extradited from Italy, is being charged with attacking civil energy infrastructure, a war crime under international law. For his part, Serhii K has denied involvement, and his lawyer told Reuters he was confident the charges would be dropped.
Germany also sought the extradition of another Ukrainian allegedly involved in the attack, who was arrested in Poland. But last year, a Polish court ruled against his extradition and ordered his release. Polish officials also said they opposed the extradition and expressed support for the attack on Russia and Germany’s energy infrastructure.
There have been conflicting narratives over the Nord Stream bombings, with investigative journalist Seymour Hersh first reporting in February 2023 that President Biden himself ordered the attack and that it was carried out by US Navy divers who planted explosives during NATO drills in the Baltic Sea.
In the aftermath of the attack, US officials spoke positively of it, with then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling it a “tremendous opportunity” to get Europe off Russian gas.
