A trial opened in Hamburg, Germany involving Serhii Kuznetsov, a 50-year-old former Ukrainian special forces officer, who faces charges related to the destruction of Nord Stream gas pipelines. Prosecutors allege that Kuznetsov led a team of divers who placed explosives on the pipeline infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, acting under orders from Ukrainian state authorities. The defendant is charged with complicity in war crimes, including attacks on civilian infrastructure and disruption of public services.
The alleged operation involved the detonation of incendiary devices weighing up to 27 kilograms at a depth of approximately 80 meters near the Danish island of Bornholm. According to the prosecution, Kuznetsov worked with six accomplices including deep-sea divers, an explosives specialist, and a ship captain who utilized a rented yacht and timer-controlled explosives. The pipelines, designed to transport Russian natural gas to Germany, were severely damaged in the attacks. Both Kuznetsov and Ukraine have denied involvement in the incident.
Defense attorneys argued that the trial should not proceed, contending their client has been held in solitary confinement and faces restrictions on his defense due to his military status. They also challenged the characterization of the pipeline attack as sabotage of civilian infrastructure, describing the pipelines instead as instruments of Russian strategy. Kuznetsov was arrested in Italy in August 2025 while traveling on false documentation and was subsequently extradited to Germany last November.
The incident has become politically sensitive across Europe. German prosecutors previously stated the objective was to permanently cease gas flows and deprive Russia of energy revenue during wartime. The trial has attracted both pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russia supporters outside the courthouse, reflecting broader geopolitical tensions. A second suspect, Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, was arrested on a European warrant and is contesting his extradition from Croatia.
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