Politics Nord Stream suspect in custody in Germany
Following his extradition from Italy, a suspected mastermind of the Nord Stream attacks has been remanded in custody in Germany.
28.11.2025, 12:18
SDA
An investigating judge at the German Federal Supreme Court issued the arrest warrant for the Ukrainian Serhij K. in Karlsruhe and enforced it, as confirmed by a spokeswoman for the German Federal Public Prosecutor's Office.
The spokeswoman for the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office would not comment on where the suspect will now be taken.
The attacks on the former German-Russian prestige project made headlines around the world in the fall of 2022. Several explosions near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea damaged the two pipelines to such an extent that gas could no longer be transported through them.
Russian natural gas previously flowed through Nord Stream 1 to Germany. Nord Stream 2 was not yet in operation due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
Legal dispute over extradition
No one has yet been brought to justice for the attacks. At the end of August, the suspected mastermind was caught on the Adriatic coast while on vacation with his family. Serhij K. resisted his extradition to Germany for months.
In the meantime, he was on hunger strike because he felt he was being badly treated. Last week, the highest court in Italy then gave the green light for his extradition.
On Thursday, the Ukrainian was handed over to the German authorities and taken to Karlsruhe by helicopter. It is assumed that he will later be tried at the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg.
However, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office would first have to file an indictment there and the responsible State Security Senate would have to approve it. It is unclear when this could happen.
Poland refused to extradite another suspect
The federal prosecutor's office accuses Serhij K. of, among other things, jointly causing an explosive detonation and anti-constitutional sabotage. He is said to be part of the group that planted explosive devices on the gas pipelines in September 2022.
According to top prosecutors, he was one of the coordinators of the operation. Serhij K. denies the allegations.
Investigators are convinced that the team of seven also included four divers. The team is said to have rented a sailing yacht called "Andromeda" for the attacks, which took them from Rostock out onto the Baltic Sea.
One diver allegedly involved was temporarily held in custody in Poland. However, the judiciary there refused to extradite him to Germany. The Ukrainian has since been released.
