Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday (3 July) that the European Union should take into account allegations of Ukrainian involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream sabotage when considering Kyiv’s bid for membership.
Peskov made the remarks after German federal prosecutors charged a former Ukrainian army officer in connection with the underwater explosions that damaged the pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
"This is highly significant and, naturally, all EU countries must take this case into account when discussing the prospects of Ukraine’s EU membership, closer ties with the EU, and so forth," Peskov told media representatives.
German prosecutors allege the suspect, identified only as Serhii K., acted as a co-perpetrator on behalf of Ukrainian state entities and described the operation as a war crime.
According to prosecutors, Serhii K. and six alleged accomplices, all serving members of the Ukrainian military, acted “on the orders of state authorities in Ukraine” with the aim of permanently cutting off Russian gas supplies to Europe and reducing Moscow’s war revenues.
Investigators say the group travelled from Ukraine to Germany using forged passports before renting the yacht Andromeda in the port city of Rostock.
Prosecutors said traces of the military-grade explosives HMX and RDX were later found on board. The explosives were allegedly attached to the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm before being detonated on 26 September 2022.
The pipelines were not operational at the time, but the explosions caused significant damage to critical energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian authorities said on Thursday they did not yet have enough information to respond in detail to the German allegations.
Serhii K., who was extradited from Italy following his arrest in 2025, has denied any involvement. His lawyer told Reuters he expects his client to be acquitted.
The case could prove diplomatically sensitive for Germany, one of Ukraine’s largest military backers, given Berlin’s heavy pre-war reliance on Russian gas supplied through the Nord Stream network.
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One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a fresh attack on Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities reported, a day after a strike claimed by Yemen's Houthis killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
Yemen's Houthis renewed warning to airlines, airport workers, and travellers against using Saudi airports, saying the warning should be taken seriously and that the kingdom “bore responsibility for failed interceptions”, a day after an attack on Riyadh's international airport that killed 12 people.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
The Kremlin on Monday rejected a 60-day ceasefire idea proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to allow his country to hold presidential elections, saying it wanted an overall peace deal instead.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a newly opened defence museum displaying weapons developed under his leadership, including an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.
Southeast Asian foreign ministers are set to discuss measures to tackle transboundary haze during preparatory meetings ahead of the ASEAN summit in November, as forest and land fires in Indonesia continue to affect air quality across the region, the Philippines said on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the United Kingdom believes Iran was likely behind an alleged plot connected to RAF Fairford, a military airbase in Gloucestershire in England that has played a role in U.S. operations against Iran, escalating tensions between London and Tehran.
Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has accused the Trump administration of using federal law enforcement for political purposes after authorities searched her Washington-area home as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
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