BERLIN: German prosecutors have filed charges against a Ukrainian national over the 2022 explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines beneath the Baltic Sea, according to prosecutors and the suspect’s lawyer.

The suspect, identified only as Serhii K under German privacy laws, is accused of leading and coordinating the operation that destroyed three of the pipelines linking Russia and Germany. German media reported he was arrested in Italy last year, extradited to Germany in November, and has denied any involvement.

The September 2022 explosions rendered the multibillion-dollar pipeline network inoperable and released large amounts of methane into the Baltic Sea. No group or country has claimed responsibility, Ukraine has denied involvement, and investigators have not publicly linked any state to the sabotage.