Germany’s Federal Public Prosecutor has accused the Ukrainian authorities of ordering the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipelines shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The announcement comes one day after formal charges were filed against the first suspect in the case.

The suspect, identified only as Serhii K., in accordance with German privacy laws that prohibit the disclosure of his full surname, “and other military personnel developed a plan, at the request of the Ukrainian authorities, to destroy the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement, referring to the September 2022 underwater explosions that severely damaged the pipelines.

The Ukrainian citizen has been charged with complicity in a war crime, disrupting public services, causing an explosion, and damaging infrastructure.

According to prosecutors, the objective of the operation was to permanently halt gas deliveries through the pipelines and prevent Russia from using natural gas revenues to finance its war effort.

The accused, described as the leader of a team of professional divers and an explosives expert, allegedly entered Germany in September 2022 using a forged Ukrainian passport. Prosecutors say he later boarded a yacht rented with false identification documents.

He and his alleged accomplices are accused of transporting large quantities of high-performance, military-grade explosives through international waters to a location near the Danish island of Bornholm, where they attached the explosives to the underwater pipelines.

Serhii K. was arrested in Italy last August and extradited to Germany in November. He denies any involvement in the sabotage.

German courts have ruled that the case falls under German jurisdiction because the damaged pipelines terminate in Lubmin, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and their destruction had a direct impact on Germany’s energy security and national security.