Germany Puts Ukrainian on Trial Accused of Blowing Up Nord Stream Pipelines
Four years after one of the most dramatic acts of sabotage in modern European history, a Ukrainian man goes on trial in Hamburg on Wednesday accused of blowing up Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines to Germany.
TL;DR
- A Ukrainian man, Serhii K, is on trial in Hamburg accused of blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
- German prosecutors allege the plot was carried out by Ukrainian military personnel acting on orders from state agencies.
- Ukraine, a close ally of Germany, denies any involvement in the sabotage.
- The case is considered a war crime under Germany's code of crimes against international law.
- Two Ukrainian men, Serhii K and Volodymyr Zhuravlov, are suspects, with Zhuravlov having successfully challenged extradition from Poland but later arrested in Croatia.
- The trial is sensitive due to Germany's strong support for Ukraine since the Russian invasion.
- The Nord Stream pipelines were destroyed in September 2022, but Russia had already halted gas flow to Germany via Nord Stream 1.