German Court Says Ukraine Linked to Nord Stream Explosions

Germany’s Federal Court has stated that Ukraine is responsible for the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea in September 2022.

The court’s ruling was published on the Federal Court’s official website.

According to the document released this week, the explosions were carried out “with a high degree of probability” on the orders of a foreign state. The court’s wording indicates that it identifies Ukraine as that state.

The court also kept in custody Serhii Kuznietsov, a Ukrainian national suspected of involvement in the sabotage.

He is accused of carrying out an act of sabotage using explosives that led to the destruction of infrastructure facilities, although the Ukrainian denies any involvement.

The defense insists that the attack was part of the war between Ukraine and Russia, and that causing damage to infrastructure critical to Moscow is permitted under international law, Der Spiegel reports.

This argument is also based on the fact that the pipelines were located in international waters and constituted a legitimate military target, as Russia used them to finance its war against Ukraine.

However, according to the court’s ruling, the pipelines were not a legitimate military target because they were primarily used for civilian purposes, and their destruction endangered Germany’s sovereignty.

As previously reported, Kuznietsov was arrested in Italy in August 2025 under a European arrest warrant. On November 20, Italy’s highest court approved his extradition to Germany.

Charges

The Ukrainian national is suspected of blowing up the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in September 2022, which were used to transport Russian gas to Europe.

As a result of the sabotage, three of the four pipeline strings were damaged. Investigations in Sweden and Denmark concluded without charges being filed, while Germany continued its own investigation.

German prosecutors claim that Kuznietsov was part of a group that planted explosive devices on the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea.