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Nord Stream pipeline sabotage trial

Factlen Newsroom· Updated Oct 27, 5:26 PM UTC

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A wide exterior view of the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court building in Hamburg, Germany, under an overcast sky. — The Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg, where the trial of a former Ukrainian officer is taking place.From: German Court Rebuffs Attempt to Halt Ex-Ukrainian Officer's Nord Stream Blasts Trial

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By 17:26 UTC on October 27, a German court dismissed a defense motion to halt the trial of Serhii Kuznietsov, a former Ukrainian military officer accused of orchestrating the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline bombings. The defense had argued that Ukrainian military secrecy laws prevented Kuznietsov from speaking freely, which they claimed denied him a fair trial.

The presiding judge ruled that foreign military secrecy obligations do not restrict a defendant's right to testify under German law. Prosecutors allege Kuznietsov led a seven-member team that planted the explosives on the Baltic Sea pipelines in September 2022.

How the story developed

Following a years-long investigation into the pipeline bombings, German federal prosecutors indicted a former Ukrainian army officer, initially identified as Serhii K., on July 2.

Prosecutors charged the suspect with committing a war crime by attacking civilian energy infrastructure. They alleged that the operation was carried out on the orders of Ukrainian state authorities, and that the suspect led a team of divers and explosives experts to sabotage the pipelines. The Ukrainian government has consistently denied official involvement in the attack.

The explosions occurred at a depth of 70 to 80 meters near Bornholm in September 2022.From: German Court Rebuffs Attempt to Halt Ex-Ukrainian Officer's Nord Stream Blasts Trial · Oct 27, 2026

The trial of the former Ukrainian special forces officer, fully identified as Serhii Kuznietsov, opened in Hamburg on October 14. The proceedings marked the first public hearing of evidence regarding the sabotage, an issue that has strained diplomatic relations between Berlin and Kyiv.

At the opening of the trial, defense lawyers argued against the characterization of the pipelines as civilian infrastructure. They asserted that the Russian-owned gas network was a geopolitical weapon rather than civilian heating conduits, making it a legitimate military target.