What to know about the Nord Stream pipeline explosions trial opening in Germany this week

A former Ukrainian army officer is going on trial in Germany over undersea explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany four years ago

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A former Ukrainian army officer is going on trial in Germany this week over undersea explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany four years ago in one of the biggest acts of sabotage in Europe since the Second World War.

The attack laid bare Europe's dependence on Russian energy but also raised sensitive questions about Ukraine and its Western allies.

While international observers initially blamed Moscow, there are now increasing suggestions that Ukrainian state security agencies may have been involved — even though Ukraine counts Germany as one of its closest allies.

Here's what we know about the alleged ringleader of the attack and one of the most politically charged court cases of wartime sabotage that will be heard at the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg starting this Wednesday.

Prosecutors say Nord Stream plot aimed to cut Russian gas revenues for war

At the time, European countries were moving to wean themselves off Russian energy sources, following the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The defendant and others allegedly used a yacht that set off from the German port of Rostock. It had been hired from a German company using forged IDs and with the help of intermediaries.

The suspect allegedly organized and carried out the detonation of at least four bombs between 14 and 27 kilograms (around 31 to 62 pounds) at a depth of 70 to 80 meters (230 feet to 263 feet) near the Danish island of Bornholm.

A second suspect was arrested on a European warrant in the northern Croatian town of Pula in August. He has applied for asylum in Croatia to fight his extradition to Germany.

The pipelines were long a target of criticism by the U.S. and some of its allies, which warned that they increased dependence on Russian gas.