German news magazine Der Spiegel reports that the Ukrainian national suspected of sabotaging the Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines on September 26, 2022, was an active-duty special forces captain in the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the time of the incident.
A letter from Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense to the Ukrainian Parliament’s Human Rights Commissioner confirms the suspect served from August 10, 2022, to November 28, 2023, as a captain in a special operations unit under the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
A former Ukrainian military officer who commanded the unit affirmed the suspect followed all orders and “was not permitted to leave his post without authorization.”
The suspect was arrested this summer while vacationing with his family in Italy and extradited to Germany in late November. He remains in custody pending trial.
The suspect’s lawyer, Nicola Canestrini, has appealed to the Federal Court of Justice of Germany, arguing that under international law the act should not be prosecuted since it was ordered by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The explosions on September 26, 2022, damaged three of the four Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea near Denmark and Sweden, triggering major gas leaks and raising concerns over Europe’s energy security.
The latest revelations add a new twist to a saga that has prompted calls for transparent investigations into critical infrastructure protection and the legal status of military orders in cross-border operations.
With court hearings expected in 2026, observers will watch closely for how international law is interpreted in this landmark case.
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Nord Stream sabotage suspect reported to be Ukrainian soldier
cgtn.com
