Germany charges Ukrainian suspect with war crime in Nord Stream attack

In Germany, prosecutors have charged Sergey Kuznetsov, a former member of Ukrainian special forces, with a war crime related to the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines. This incident occurred in September 2022 and involved the severing of three out of four pipelines that transported Russian natural gas to Germany. The German authorities allege that Kuznetsov led a group of Ukrainian saboteurs who used a rented yacht to plant explosives at a depth of approximately 100 meters. The operation has raised suspicions of foreign state involvement, particularly from Western intelligence agencies, as Moscow has expressed skepticism regarding the capability of a small group to execute such a sophisticated attack without state support. Kuznetsov was arrested in Italy in August 2025 and extradited to Germany in November, despite his claims of non-involvement. Another suspect, Vladimir Zhuravlyov, was detained in Poland but was released after a German extradition request was denied. The lack of transparency in the investigation has led to criticism from Russia, which argues that EU states are seeking scapegoats rather than uncovering the true circumstances of the attack.