Ukrainian charged in Germany over Nord Stream blasts

Berlin law firm Menaker, which represents the Ukrainian man, told Reuters news agency that an indictment had been served on Wednesday. It gave no details of the charges.

Federal prosecutors confirmed for another news agency, AFP, that a man had been charged over the explosion.

According to German public broadcaster DW, which cited German media reports, the suspect is accused of leading a team of seven accomplices in an operation to destroy three of the four Nord Stream gas pipelines.

He is also accused of attacking civil energy infrastructure, as well as causing an explosion and destroying infrastructure.

The attack released record-breaking amounts of methane into the Baltic Sea and left the multi-billion dollar infrastructure inoperable.

A month after his arrest, a second Ukrainian suspect was detained at his home close to Poland's capital Warsaw on another arrest warrant issued by Germany.

Although Nord Stream 2 never went into operation, Nord Stream 1's two pipelines had provided a steady supply, along a 1,200km (745-mile) stretch of the Baltic Sea, from the Russian coast to north-eastern Germany.

Shortly before Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Germany cancelled its process to approve Nord Stream 2, which was 100% owned by Russian gas giant Gazprom. Months later, Russia shut down Nord Stream 1, blaming problems with equipment.

Then, on 26 September 2022, several explosions were recorded that ruptured three of the four pipelines.