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Germany charges Nord Stream suspects with war crimes complicity and sabotage

German Federal prosecutors announced on Thursday that a 'Ukrainian citizen linked to the Nord Stream Pipeline explosions was?charged as a 'complice of a war crime and disruption of public services. He also faces charges for causing an explosive to occur, and destroying buildings.

Serhii, or K as the suspect, is known to German privacy laws, is suspected of acting for?Ukrainian government entities along with other military staff, in order to?destroy pipelines in the year 2022.

Prosecutors alleged that the goal was to stop gas deliveries via pipelines permanently and to prevent Russia from using revenue from the natural gas trade to fund its war effort.

They said that the defendant, who led a team of professional divers and explosives experts, entered Germany in September 2022 on a fake Ukrainian passport and boarded an yacht rented with forged identification documents.

According to the statement, he and his accomplices 'transported' large quantities of explosives for military purposes through international waters, to a location near the Danish island Bornholm. From there, he 'attached' them to the pipelines undersea.

Serhii K, a German citizen, was arrested in Italy in August of last year and sent to Germany in November. He has denied any involvement.

German courts have treated the case as falling ?within German jurisdiction because the ?damaged pipelines end at ?Lubmin in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and their loss affected Germany's energy security and internal safety. (Reporting and editing by Thomas Seythal, Miranda Murray)

(source: Reuters)