Germany puts Ukrainian on trial accused of blowing up Nord Stream pipelines
A Ukrainian man has gone on trial in Germany accused of participating in the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines. The suspect denies the charges, which involve plotting with military personnel to destroy the infrastructure.
Why it matters
The trial addresses a major act of geopolitical sabotage that impacted European energy security and remains a point of high tension between Russia and the West.
Image source, Reuters Image caption, Serhii K was extradited to Germany from Italy late last year
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.
Serhii K, as he is identified by German prosecutors, is accused of plotting with other Ukrainian military personnel to destroy the pipelines and stop Russia financing its war with gas revenue.
The case is highly sensitive in Germany, seen as one of Ukraine's closest allies since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, seven months before the attacks took place.
Serhii K, extradited to Germany last year, will become the first suspect to go on trial for the blasts.
He denies the charges, as does a second suspect who is fighting extradition from Croatia.
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