Nord Stream sabotage suspect reported to be active-duty Ukrainian soldier

The Ukrainian national suspected of sabotaging the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines has been confirmed as an active-duty soldier in a Ukrainian special force at the time of the incident, according to the German news magazine Der Spiegel.  

A Ukrainian Ministry of Defense document and testimonies from a former Ukrainian military officer confirmed the suspect's affiliation with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the magazine reported.

It reported that a letter sent by Ukraine's Ministry of Defense to the Ukrainian Parliament's Human Rights Commissioner confirmed the suspect's service history 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 also affirmed the suspect was under his command during mentioned period, stating "he carried out all orders of our unit, and was not permitted to leave his post without authorization."

The suspect was arrested this summer while vacationing with his family in Italy. He was extradited to Germany in late November, and is currently being held in custody pending trial.  

The suspect's lawyer, Nicola Canestrini, has filed an appeal with the Federal Court of Justice of Germany. According to the lawyer, the acts of the suspect should not be subject to criminal prosecution under principles of international law, as the suspect was under the command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. "If he carried out the attack, then he did so because he was ordered to do so," said Canestrini during a November hearing. "Because he was for sure a captain of the Ukrainian army."

On September 26, 2022, powerful explosions damaged sections of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 sub-sea pipelines in the Baltic Sea, near Denmark and Sweden, causing major gas leaks. Investigators later found that three of the four pipelines had been deliberately sabotaged.