Ukrainian national on trial in Germany for alleged Nord Stream pipeline sabotage

A Ukrainian national, identified as Serhii K., is facing trial in Hamburg, Germany, accused of plotting with other Ukrainian military personnel to sabotage Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines. The trial, which began Wednesday, marks the first legal proceedings in connection with the explosions that occurred on September 26, 2022.

German prosecutors allege that Serhii K., who was reportedly a serving officer in the Ukrainian army in 2022, led a group of divers, a boat captain, and an explosives expert in the operation. He was arrested in Italy in August 2025 after checking into a hotel near Rimini, acting on a European arrest warrant issued by German federal prosecutors. Following legal battles against extradition, he was transferred to Germany late last year.

Serhii K. denies the charges. Another Ukrainian suspect, identified as Volodymyr Zhuravlov, is fighting extradition from Croatia. Zhuravlov had previously challenged Germany's extradition bid in a Polish court, where a judge ruled in October 2025 that the attack on the pipelines was not unlawful and could be considered a justified military mission by Ukraine. Despite this ruling, Zhuravlov was arrested in Croatia last August on suspicion of participating in dives necessary for the sabotage, and Croatia has approved his extradition, though it remains unclear if his case will be joined with the Hamburg trial.

The Nord Stream pipeline attacks occurred in the Baltic Sea off the coast of the Danish island of Bornholm, causing three of the four pipelines to be destroyed. At the time of the explosions, Nord Stream 1's gas flow to Germany had already been shut off by Russia, and Nord Stream 2 had never been operational. Berlin had frozen the multi-billion dollar Nord Stream 2 project shortly before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In the aftermath of the blasts, Western nations primarily suspected Moscow, though no direct blame was officially apportioned.

The case has brought to light differing perspectives between Kyiv and Berlin. Oleksandr Merezhko, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Ukrainian parliament, suggested that the timing of the blasts during wartime and Nord Stream 2's role as a Russian tool meant it was a potential target. He stated that Ukraine had no confirmation of the German account, calling it "one of the versions." Conversely, Stefan Meister of the German Council on Foreign Relations noted Berlin's efforts to depoliticize the case, emphasizing its handling by judicial institutions rather than through political channels.

Despite the complexities, Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Merezhko expressed confidence that the trial would not harm relations between Ukraine and Germany, citing Germany's continued support for Ukraine as being in its national interest.