German court orders Nord Stream sabotage trial of former Ukrainian officer to proceed
- Judge rejects defense argument that Ukrainian military secrecy obligations prevent accused former special-forces officer from receiving a fair trial.
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- Judge rejects defense argument that Ukrainian military secrecy obligations prevent accused former special-forces officer from receiving a fair trial.
By Ayhan Simsek
BERLIN (AA) - A German court ruled Tuesday that the Nord Stream sabotage trial of a former Ukrainian army officer would proceed, rejecting defense arguments that secrecy obligations made a fair trial impossible.
The Hanseatic Higher Regional Court dismissed the defense's request on the second day of proceedings in Hamburg.
"According to German law, the defendant is not restricted in his defense," the presiding judge said, adding that foreign military service regulations could not limit a defendant's freedom to testify in Germany.
Serhii Kuznetsov, a former Ukrainian special forces officer, faces charges of war crimes and related offenses.
Prosecutors alleged that he led a team that planted explosives on the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea on Sept. 26, 2022, seven months after the Russia-Ukraine war began.
Defense lawyers argued that Kuznetsov remained bound by secrecy obligations stemming from his service in a Ukrainian special military unit.
They said he risked 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 proceedings to continue as scheduled.
According to German investigators, Kuznetsov led a seven-member team comprising divers, support personnel, a medic and a captain.
Prosecutors alleged that 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.
The September 2022 explosions severely damaged the twin Nord Stream pipelines, which were 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.
Ayhan Şimşek