The headline “BGH sees Kiev behind pipeline blasts” refers to a recent ruling by Germany’s Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, or BGH) in the ongoing investigation into the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

The court stated that the explosions were likely carried out on behalf of a state actor, with Ukraine specifically under concrete suspicion as the commissioning party (“Auftraggeber”). The court described the act as “geheimdienstlich gesteuerte Gewalttaten” (intelligence-service-directed acts of violence), rejecting the suspect’s claim to functional immunity (as if acting on state orders in an official capacity).

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From The Blackout News

The Federal Court of Justice assesses the blowing up of the Nord Stream pipelines as an “act of violence controlled by the secret service” on behalf of a foreign state and the decision names Ukraine as the alleged client.

The decision is also central because the Federal Court of Justice expressly does not consider the pipelines to be a legitimate military target and emphasizes their predominantly civilian purpose. The Federal Court of Justice rejected the detention appeal of the suspect Serhij K. and thus supported the line of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office (faz: 14.01.26).

The Federal Court of Justice is of the opinion that the blowing up of the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022 was an “act of violence controlled by the secret service” on behalf of a foreign state. 

A decision published on Thursday shows that the court considers Ukraine to be the client. The court thus justified the rejection of a detention appeal by the Ukrainian suspect Serhij K.

He is accused of anti-constitutional sabotage in conjunction with causing an explosive explosion and destroying buildings. In the opinion of the Federal Court of Justice, the gas pipes are not a legitimate military target, they would have served primarily civilian purposes.

Sprengung der Nord-Stream-Pipelines war laut BGH geheimdienstlich gesteuerter Gewaltakt | FAZ

Blasting – why the Federal Court of Justice does not see any justification as an act of war

The defense wanted to classify the act as an act of war covered by international law, but Karlsruhe did not follow this argumentation.

Serhiy K. invoked the combatant privilege through his lawyers and spoke of a “legal act of damage to Ukraine” in the war against Russia. The BGH countered this with a clear assessment and denied a legitimate military aim.

From the court’s point of view, the purpose of the lines remained decisive.

Nord Stream had primarily served civilian interests, and thus a justification under the international law of war according to the Karlsruhe interpretation is no longer applicable.

This also has an impact on domestic politics, because gas imports in Germany trigger long-term price and supply issues. In addition, the explosion takes on the rank of targeted sabotage, because the judges assume a foreign state order.

Ukraine, detention and the line of the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland

Serhiy K. was arrested in Italy in August of the previous year and then transferred to Germany, which is why the proceedings are being continued here.

His lawyers challenged the pre-trial detention, but the BGH rejected the complaint. Karlsruhe is thus strengthening the investigations of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, which accuses it of anti-constitutional sabotage and other offenses.

At the same time, a second string was running in which Polish judges decided differently.

Volodymyr S. was released from pre-trial detention in Poland in October and the court refused to transfer him to Germany. His defense also argued with international law and presented attacks on Russian-important infrastructure as permissible.

This creates a legal contrast, as the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland continues to pursue its assessment of Ukraine as a client in the German proceedings.

Nord Stream, sailing yacht and the suspicion of sabotage

In the context of the investigation, clues about Serhiy K.’s role emerged and they reinforced the image of an organized operation.

According to public statements, he belonged to a special unit of the Ukrainian army at the time of the crime, and Roman Chervinskyi, his superior at the time, confirmed this in December 2025. In an interview with the F.A.Z., Chervinskyj called the action “a good thing”, but he rejected details.

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office also describes the alleged sequence of events: The perpetrators are said to have rented a sailing yacht in September 2022, then sailed to a sea area near Bornholm and planted several explosive devices during dives.

This scenario fits Karlsruhe’s classification of an operation controlled by the secret service and it makes the explosion a central object of investigation.

For Germany, the topic of Nord Stream remains relevant, because every new assessment intensifies the discussion about gas imports and strategic dependencies.