A Ukrainian man arrested in Italy and held in detention in Germany has been charged with the attack on the Nord Stream pipeline that crosses the Baltic Sea.
Known as Serhii K, the suspect will face charges of war crimes, as the incident took place after the onset of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The main accusations are that he orchestrated an attack on civilian energy infrastructure – a war crime under international criminal law. He is also charged with causing an explosion and destroying structures.
Prosecutors allege the accused led a seven-member crew who allegedly blew up the pipelines at the bottom of the Baltic Sea in September 2022.
The suspected perpetrator of the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines, the most spectacular sabotage case since the end of the Cold War, has been held in Germany since last November.
He was detained in Rimini on Italy's Adriatic coast before extradition to Germany. The trial is to be held under high security.
The 2022 blasts sent methane levels in the Baltic 1,000 times higher than normal. The findings of a probe made with an underwater robot known as a glider, revealed that the gas had spread far across the Baltic, with the fallout stretching from the Danish coast to the Polish port of Gdansk.
The group is believed to have planted devices on the pipelines near the German island of Bornholm, prosecutors said.
Serhii K has denied involvement.
