German prosecutors charge Nord Stream suspect

BERLIN: German prosecutors said Wednesday they had brought charges against a suspect in the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline linking Russia with Europe.
Federal prosecutors confirmed to AFP that a man had been charged over the explosion, with German media reporting that he was a Ukrainian national said to be the head of the team that carried out the operation.
They named the man as Serhii K. and said he was the same suspect who was arrested in summer 2025 in Italy and extradited to Germany the following November.
The reports say that he is charged with “attacks on civilian energy infrastructure, causing an explosives detonation, and demolition of built structures.”
He is now reportedly in detention in Hamburg, where he will face trial.
Serhii K. is thought by investigators to have been in command on the yacht used to carry out the operation, according to the reports.
The evidence gathered against him is described as “overwhelming,” as he allegedly incriminated himself during phone calls he made to relatives and acquaintances when he was in custody in Italy.
Last year a Polish court refused a German extradition request for another Ukrainian suspect in the Nord Stream case.