German Court Rebuffs Attempt to Halt Ex-Ukrainian Officer's Nord Stream Blasts Trial

A German court has decisively refused to halt the trial of a former Ukrainian military officer accused of orchestrating the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline bombings. The Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg dismissed a defense motion on Tuesday, ensuring the landmark sabotage case will proceed.[1][2]

Serhii Kuznietsov, a 50-year-old former special forces officer, faces multiple severe charges, including causing an explosion, destroying structures, disrupting public services, and committing a war crime. His legal team argued that Ukrainian military secrecy obligations prevented him from speaking freely with his attorneys, making a fair trial impossible.[1][3]

The defense supported its position with a sworn statement from Kuznietsov's superior, confirming that the former officer remained bound by strict secrecy rules. They warned that he risked severe penalties in Ukraine if he discussed the classified operation with his German lawyers or testified in open court.[3]

Presiding Judge Anne Meier-Göring rejected that argument during the second day of hearings. She ruled that foreign military service regulations cannot limit a defendant's freedom to testify in a German court, nor do they inherently violate his fundamental right to a fair trial.[1][2]

The prosecution's legal stance

"According to German law, the defendant is not restricted in his defense," Meier-Göring stated in the courtroom. The judges also noted that Kuznietsov had not formally sought an exemption from the Ukrainian government that would allow him to disclose protected information.[2][3]

Federal prosecutor Stefan Schmidt urged the judges to reject the defense's broad interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights. He argued that a state cannot prevent criminal prosecution simply by withholding permission for a defendant to disclose classified information related to the charges.[3]

German investigators allege that Kuznietsov led a highly specialized seven-member team that planted explosives on the Baltic Sea pipelines on September 26, 2022. The group reportedly included divers, support personnel, a medical professional, and a specialized captain.[2]

Prosecutors claim the saboteurs used forged documents to charter a sailing yacht in the German port city of Rostock. This vessel allegedly served as the operational base for transporting the explosives to the blast sites near the Danish island of Bornholm.[2]

The suspect allegedly organized the detonation of at least four bombs, each weighing between 14 and 27 kilograms. These devices were planted at a depth of 70 to 80 meters, causing massive ruptures in the underwater infrastructure.[1]

Arrest and extradition

Kuznietsov was apprehended in Italy in August 2025 while on a family vacation. Following lengthy extradition proceedings in Bologna, the Italian Supreme Court approved his transfer to German custody, which was completed in November 2025.[1][2][4]

The Nord Stream network was the result of decades of energy cooperation between Moscow and Berlin. The first pipeline was completed in 2011 following agreements signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, while the second string was finished a decade later.[3]

The blasts severed the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which had been Russia's primary natural gas route to Germany before Moscow halted supplies in August 2022. The explosions also heavily damaged the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which had never entered service due to the invasion of Ukraine.[1]

Beyond the secrecy claims, the defense continues to challenge the prosecution's characterization of the pipelines as purely civilian infrastructure. Kuznietsov's lawyers argue that the Nord Stream network served Russian military and strategic interests, raising complex questions under the laws of war.[3]

The prosecution maintains that the sabotage operation was carried out on behalf of Ukrainian state authorities. However, the Ukrainian government has consistently denied any involvement in the pipeline destruction, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly rejecting allegations that Kyiv ordered the attacks.[1][3]

Political and legal fallout

Despite official denials, various media reports have alleged that the operation was overseen by then-Ukrainian army chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi without Zelenskyy's knowledge. The trial in Hamburg represents the first formal judicial attempt to establish accountability for the incident.[2]

The trial has drawn significant international attention, as the Nord Stream destruction remains one of Europe's most consequential acts of infrastructure sabotage since World War II. The proceedings will test how European courts handle classified foreign military operations and state-sponsored acts.[1]

In August 2026, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticized the intense scrutiny of the suspects. "I will not change my mind here, and I believe that those who built this pipeline should be ashamed, not those who disabled it," Tusk remarked.[3]

The court has indicated it will seek improvements to Kuznietsov's detention conditions as the trial moves forward. The judges' decision to proceed forces the defense to navigate the trial without the blanket protection of foreign secrecy laws.[3]

The ruling leaves Kuznietsov's lawyers facing a fundamental difficulty: how to answer the prosecution's detailed allegations when their client claims he cannot discuss the necessary information. The court has firmly declined to treat that constraint as grounds to halt the trial.[3]