Prosecutors accuse Nord Stream suspect of war crimes – AfD calls for “necessary consequences”

Around four years after the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea, the trial against one of the suspected perpetrators has begun in Hamburg. The 50-year-old Ukrainian Serhij K. has to answer before the State Security Senate of the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court, among other things, on charges of war crimes.

In the indictment read out at the start of the trial, the federal prosecutor's office also accuses him of causing explosive explosions, destroying buildings and disrupting public operations. Since he committed the acts as an officer in the Ukrainian army and with the knowledge of Ukrainian state authorities, they should be viewed as war crimes.

The attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines made headlines around the world in September 2022 - a few months after the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

The media rush in front of the courtroom was correspondingly large. According to the court, more than 100 journalists had registered for the trial, including media from Russia, Ukraine, the USA, China and several European countries.

Before the trial began, the defendant's lawyer announced that Serhii K. would refuse to testify. The army officer will not comment on the matter until further notice, his lawyer Jes Meyer-Lohkamp told “Stern”.

According to the indictment, Serhij K., together with other military personnel and on behalf of Ukrainian state authorities, is said to have developed the plan to destroy the natural gas pipelines running from Russia through the Baltic Sea to Lubmin in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The aim was to prevent Russia from using income from gas trading to finance its war of aggression against Ukraine.

Around 20 Ukrainians demonstrated in front of the courthouse. They demanded that the defendant not be convicted of war crimes. A spokesman said that his country had not only known what war crimes were since the Russian war of aggression. “Ukraine has the right to defend itself in order to survive.”

In an interview with WELT, the AfD parliamentary group's foreign policy spokesman, Markus Frohnmaier, called for consequences if the accusation of a state-organized attack by Ukraine were confirmed. “I naturally expect that once this process has been completed, the necessary consequences will finally be drawn by the federal government.” Further support for Ukraine must also be examined: “Until we think about how much we can help Ukraine in the future.” At the same time, he said: “We as the AfD have always advocated providing humanitarian support.”

Frohnmaier also criticized Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU): "I think you have to realize that Merz's chancellorship has now been linked to the Ukraine issue by himself. He said that if he is no longer chancellor, then Ukraine will fail too. And that is remarkable. As German chancellor, you shouldn't make your own work dependent on a foreign country." He demanded that the CDU apply the same standards to Ukraine, Russia and other countries. “We deserve a policy that is made here for the citizens of Germany and not for Kiev.”