German prosecutors allege Ukraine ordered Nord Stream pipeline attack

Former Ukrainian soldier accused of ‘war crime’ and leading a team of divers to blow up Nord Stream pipelines.A court in Germany has charged a former Ukrainian army officer with taking part in a war crime over the 2022 Nord Stream gas pipeline blasts, accusing him of acting on behalf of Ukrainian state authorities.Prosecutors filed charges against a man, identified as Serhii K under German privacy rules, at a regional court in the German city of Hamburg on Thursday.They accused the suspect of being part of a group which attacked ⁠civilian objects, causing an explosion, destroying infrastructure and disrupting public services.Serhii K has denied involvement in the attack.Authorities in Kyiv said that they did not have enough information about the case to respond in detail to German prosecutors’ allegations.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said on Wednesday that he had yet to receive full details of the indictment.“The relevant authorities of our countries will get in touch, and ‌when we receive more details, we will probably be able to respond. For now, it is too early to speak,” he said.‘Sabotage’The Nord Stream blasts took place in September 2022, seven months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The explosions damaged the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, a crucial route for Russian gas exports to Europe. Nord Stream 2 branch was also damaged before it entered service.At the time of the alleged attack, Moscow had halted gas deliveries to Europe through Nord Stream 1, blaming Western sanctions and technical issues. Europe accused Russia of weaponising energy supplies.