📊 A trial has begun in Germany against a Ukrainian in the case of the Nord Stream explosions: prosecutors say there was...

📊 A trial has begun in Germany against a Ukrainian in the case of the Nord Stream explosions: prosecutors say there was authorization from the Ukrainian authorities

In Germany 14, a trial began in October against former Ukrainian serviceman Serhii Kuznetsov, who is accused of organizing the sabotage of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream-2 pipelines in September 2022. According to the German prosecution, the defendant had the authority and permission from the Ukrainian authorities to carry out this operation. Reuters reports this.

According to the investigation, 50-year-old Kuznetsov led a group of Ukrainians that included divers and an explosives specialist. Prosecutors say the operation was planned jointly with Ukrainian service members on behalf of unidentified Ukrainian state structures.

According to the charges, about three weeks before the explosions Kuznetsov entered Germany via Poland, using a forged Ukrainian passport. The group later chartered a sailing yacht in the German city of Rostock and sailed to the area of the Danish island of Bornholm, where they allegedly placed specialized military explosives on the seabed.

Earlier, German outlets Der Spiegel and ZDF reported that on the yacht Andromeda, which left Rostock 6 September and returned 23 September 2022, there were five men and one woman.

Serhii Kuznetsov himself denies any involvement in the blasts. At the first court hearing he exercised his right to remain silent. His lawyers said a full defense is impeded by the need to protect Ukraine’s state secrets.

At the same time, the defense questioned the very criminal classification of the pipeline sabotage. Attorney Nicola Canestrini, who petitioned to dismiss the case, called the pipeline “Russian weaponry,” which could potentially have been a lawful military target during a war.

By contrast, the German prosecution believes that an attack on civilian infrastructure and causing explosions that led to its destruction could be classified as a war crime.

Kuznetsov was arrested in Italy in 2025 pursuant to an international warrant. He is currently the only defendant whose case is before the court. At the same time, another suspect, Volodymyr Z., who investigators consider one of the divers involved in the operation, was detained in Croatia.

Reference: 26 September 2022, explosions in the Baltic Sea damaged three of the four strings of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream-2 pipelines. The damage caused a large methane leak. Prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion, these pipelines played a key role in supplying Russian natural gas to Germany.

Official Kyiv denies that the Ukrainian state was involved in the explosions. At the same time, Reuters notes that the multi-year investigation has created a difficult diplomatic situation for Berlin, which continues to provide Ukraine with substantial military assistance.

The trial in Hamburg is expected to continue until February 2027. It is during this proceeding that evidence collected by German law enforcement over several years of investigation will be examined publicly for the first time.