It was 02:03 am on 26 September 2022 when the first blast severed part of the Nord Stream pipelines, sending vast quantities of gas gushing through the surface of the Baltic Sea.
There were two further explosions targeting both Nord Stream 2 – not yet in action, but already full – and the original Nord Stream 1 that had supplied around half of Germany’s annual demand for natural gas.
Both have been inoperable ever since.
Prosecutors say “high-performance explosives” were planted approximately 80m (260ft) below the surface: four devices weighing up to 27kg each, activated with timers.
They “strongly suspect” that Serhii K led a crew that included four deep-sea divers, using a rented yacht called Andromeda.
Once their complex, dangerous mission was done, the saboteurs slipped back into Ukraine unaware of the DNA evidence some had allegedly left on the boat.
As word of the blasts spread, experts and some governments initially rushed to the same conclusion: they blamed Moscow.
Russia had a history of hybrid attacks, after all, and of using its energy supplies for political pressure.
But as the airwaves filled with commentators citing “suspicious” Russian naval activity near the blast site, German police ignored the noise.
They went on following the forensic crumbs.
Eventually they led to Ukraine.