German authorities have charged Serhii K, a former Ukrainian Special Forces officer, in connection with explosions that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022. The blasts occurred in the early morning hours and targeted both Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, rendering both pipelines inoperative. Prosecutors allege that explosives weighing up to 27 kilograms each were placed approximately 80 meters below the surface and detonated with timers. The defendant is accused of commanding a crew that included four deep-sea divers who reportedly used a rented yacht called Andromeda to carry out the operation. He faces charges of causing an explosion and committing a war crime through attacks on civilian infrastructure, with prosecutors alleging he acted on behalf of Ukrainian state agencies. Both Serhii K and Ukraine have denied involvement.
German police conducted an extensive forensic investigation into the sabotage. While initial public speculation focused on Russian involvement, investigators pursued forensic evidence that eventually led them to Ukraine. The case alleges that Serhii K entered Germany using a forged passport. After the attacks, he reportedly traveled extensively across multiple countries including France, Spain, and Canada. German authorities identified him as the key suspect in August 2025 and coordinated with Italian police to apprehend him at a resort near the Adriatic coast, where he was vacationing with his family. Following his arrest and extradition to Germany, he has been held in a high-security facility ahead of his trial in Hamburg.
A second suspect, Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, was arrested in Croatia in August while working as a consultant on a film about the Nord Stream incident. He is reportedly a skilled deep-sea diver living in Warsaw with his family and working in the air conditioning installation business. A Polish judge previously refused to extradite Zhuravlyov when he was arrested on a German warrant, though he is currently fighting extradition from Croatia. Ukrainian sources interviewed by investigators expressed frustration that Germany was pursuing prosecution of individuals they believe were acting against Russian interests, while also criticizing their own government’s silence on the matter.
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