Military Madness > Ukraine soldier on trial in Germany for Nord Stream II sabotage

 

Trial of first suspect in Nord Stream pipeline attacks underway in Germany

By Paul Godfrey

The trial of a Ukrainian soldier accused of sabotaging the undersea Nordstream pipelines supplying Russian gas to Europe in 2022 got underway in Hamburg, Germany, on Wednesday. File Photo by Danish Defense/UPI | License Photo

Oct. 14 (UPI) -- The trial of a Ukrainian soldier accused of sabotaging the undersea Nord Stream pipelines supplying Russian gas to Europe in 2022 got underway in Hamburg, Germany, on Wednesday.

Serhii K, is charged with being a part of a conspiracy by Ukrainian military personnel to destroy the $17 billion infrastructure project as part of a "state-sponsored" bid to deprive Moscow of gas revenues from the pipelines to fund its war against Ukraine.

The Ukrainian special forces officer is accused of being an accomplice to war crimes, attacking civilian infrastructure, causing an explosion, property damage and disrupting public services.

Serhii K planted and detonated four 60-pound, time-controlled devices at a depth of 260 feet, according to the indictment read out in court.

The defendant, whom German prosecutors allege was a serving Ukrainian officer at the time of the attacks in September 2022, was charged by German authorities in July after being extradited in November from Italy where he was detained three months earlier.

The first of the suspects to face trial, Serhii K denies any wrongdoing.