OMM Newsroom
A German court on Tuesday ordered the trial of former Ukrainian army officer Serhii Kuznetsov over the sabotage of the “Nord Stream” pipelines to proceed, rejecting defense arguments that secrecy obligations made a fair trial impossible, Anadolu Agency reported.
The Hanseatic Higher Regional Court dismissed the defense request on the second day of proceedings in Hamburg. The presiding judge said German law did not restrict Kuznetsov’s defense and that foreign military service rules could not limit his freedom to testify in Germany.
Kuznetsov, a former Ukrainian special forces officer, faces charges of war crimes and related offenses. Prosecutors allege he led a team that planted explosives on the pipelines in the Baltic Sea on Sept. 26, 2022, seven months after the Russia-Ukraine war began.
His lawyers argued that he remained bound by secrecy obligations from his service in a Ukrainian special military unit. They said he could face severe penalties in Ukraine if he discussed the case with his attorneys or testified in court, making a fair trial impossible.
The court rejected the argument and ordered the proceedings to continue as scheduled.
Investigators describe a seven-member team
German investigators say Kuznetsov led a seven-member team that included divers, support personnel, a medic and a captain.
Prosecutors allege the group used forged documents to charter a sailing yacht in the German port city of Rostock, which served as its operational base for planting explosives on the pipelines.
Kuznetsov was arrested in Italy in August 2025 while on a family vacation and was subsequently extradited to Germany.
Explosions damaged pipelines carrying Russian gas
The September 2022 explosions severely damaged the twin “Nord Stream” pipelines, built beneath the Baltic Sea to transport Russian natural gas to Germany.
The Ukrainian government has consistently denied involvement in the sabotage.
Media reports have alleged that the operation was overseen by then-Ukrainian army chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi without the knowledge of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
