Germany indicts Ukrainian over Nord Stream pipeline blasts, German media report

BERLIN, July 1 - German federal prosecutors have filed charges against a Ukrainian national over the Nord Stream pipeline blasts, German media outlets ARD, Sueddeutsche Zeitung and Zeit reported on Wednesday.

Federal prosecutors declined comment.

The blowing up of the Nord Stream pipelines, which carried Russian gas to Europe, was a major flashpoint in tensions between Moscow and the West, and came months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Prosecutors accuse the Ukrainian national, known only as Serhii K according to German privacy laws, of attacks on civilian energy infrastructure, causing an explosion and the destruction of structures, according to the ARD broadcaster.

The suspect was arrested in Italy's Rimini province on August 21, 2025, and transferred to Germany on November 27, 2025. A German judge put the arrest warrant into effect the next day.

Serhii K has denied involvement. His lawyer Nicola Canestrini has said he is confident his client will be acquitted at a trial in Germany.

A Berlin law firm that has previously spoken on behalf of Serhii K. as a client in Germany was not immediately reachable by phone for Reuters. REUTERS