Ukrainian ex-officer stands trial in Germany over Nord Stream bombing

A former Ukrainian military officer, identified by German privacy rules as Serhii K., goes on trial in Germany on Wednesday. He is accused of organizing a secret operation that blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022, an act that severed Western Europe from its largest source of Russian natural gas. The suspect, who was arrested in Italy last year under an international warrant, is alleged to have led a group of Ukrainian agents, including an explosives expert and divers, to carry out the sabotage on behalf of unidentified Ukrainian state entities.

The Times of Israel identifies the former special forces officer as Sergiy Kuznietsov and notes he faces charges including war crimes and attacking civilian infrastructure. Serhii K. has denied any involvement in the blasts that ruptured the 1,200km-long pipeline. The National UAE reports that the Ukrainian government has also denied involvement in the incident.

While some in the West initially accused Russia of sabotaging its own gas export route, Euronews reports that German investigators identified a cell of Ukrainians as the alleged perpetrators. The Russian government stated it expects a "just verdict" that will reveal the identities of those responsible.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, Euronews, The National UAE, The Times of Israel — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.