German police investigate Ukrainian suspect in Nord Stream explosions trial

A former Ukrainian special forces soldier begins his trial in Hamburg next week, facing charges of war crimes and sabotage for the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions. German prosecutors allege Serhii K commanded the covert operation on behalf of Ukrainian state agencies. Both the suspect and Kyiv deny any involvement. Under German privacy law, he will be referred to only as Serhii K throughout the proceedings.

The blasts struck at 02:03 am on 26 September 2022, severing three of the four pipelines beneath the Baltic Sea. Investigators found four timer-activated explosives weighing up to 27kg each, placed roughly 80m (260ft) below the water. Police suspect Serhii K led a crew of four deep-sea divers aboard a rented yacht named Andromeda. The group returned to Ukraine without detection, though forensic teams allegedly recovered DNA from the vessel.

German authorities tracked the saboteurs through careful forensic analysis, eventually tracing the evidence back to Ukraine. Investigators claim Serhii K entered Germany using a forged passport, possibly issued by Ukrainian security services. He traveled freely across Europe and North America for months after the attack before German intelligence identified him on 13 August 2025. Italian police detained him late on 18 August 2025 at a coastal glamping site with his wife and children.

Other suspects remain in legal limbo. Volodymyr Zhuravlyov is currently fighting extradition from Croatia after his arrest in August. A Polish court previously refused to send him to Germany, with a judge suggesting a Ukrainian strike against the pipelines would be justified during wartime. Several suspects have refused to speak publicly about their roles. "Anyone who admits involvement in this mission, they're immediately a target for Russia," a source close to the case noted.

The trial carries significant political weight. Germany now supplies the most military aid to Ukraine, while the far-right AfD party has used the case to argue against continued support for Kyiv. President Zelensky has consistently denied Ukrainian state involvement. Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi recently shifted focus away from the sabotage itself. "I find it very unfortunate that this entire discussion has come to focus on who blew [the pipelines] up, rather than who built them," Tykhyi told the BBC.

Serhii K's defense team plans to keep him silent in court. His military ID indicates he remained on active duty when the pipelines were destroyed, suggesting Ukrainian military command was aware of his whereabouts. Lawyers will argue he cannot disclose operational details and will submit sworn statements from two superiors. One of those commanders is widely believed by investigators to have orchestrated the entire plot.