Germany has formally indicted a Ukrainian national for his alleged role in the September 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, marking the first criminal charges to emerge from one of the most consequential acts of infrastructure destruction in modern European history.
The suspect, Serhii Kuznietsov, is a 49-year-old former military officer accused of coordinating the underwater explosions that ripped through three of the four pipeline sections running beneath the Baltic Sea. The charges include collusion to cause an explosion and anti-constitutional sabotage.
From arrest in Italy to a German courtroom
Kuznietsov was arrested in Italy in August 2025 and extradited to Germany on November 27, 2025, following a ruling by an EU court that cleared the way for the transfer. Since arriving in German custody, his legal team has attempted to argue he should be shielded by some form of immunity. German courts rejected that claim as of January 15, 2026.
German investigators have identified up to seven suspects connected to the operation as of September 2025. At least one of those suspects is deceased. The group has been linked to a Kyiv-based private diving school, and the attack was allegedly carried out from a chartered yacht named Andromeda.
