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Ukrainian Officer on Trial for Nord Stream Pipeline Blasts
Confirmed
In Short: A Ukrainian former military officer is on trial in Germany for allegedly organizing the secret operation that blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022.
A Ukrainian former military officer is standing trial in Germany, accused of organizing the secret operation that blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022, according to Al Jazeera (Qatar) and Arabnews (Saudi Arabia).
On September 26, 2022, Swedish seismologists detected several blasts, some 17 hours apart, as reported by Al Jazeera (Qatar), Arabnews (Saudi Arabia), Marinetechnologynews, Newscord, Oedigital, and Themoscowtimes.
The trial, which opened at Hamburg's Higher Regional Court on October 14, 2026, is expected to run into February 2027, according to The Times of Israel (Israel).
Serhii K., as identified by German prosecutors, faces charges of causing an explosion, damaging property, disrupting public service, and being an accomplice to war crimes by attacking civilian infrastructure, as reported by BBC (United Kingdom) and The Times of Israel (Israel).
Serhii K. has denied any involvement in the blasts that ruptured the 1,200-km (750-mile)-long Baltic Sea pipeline, as reported by Arabnews (Saudi Arabia), Marinetechnologynews, Oedigital, and Themoscowtimes.
The Nord Stream system, lying at a depth of 80 to 110 metres under the Baltic and built by Russian gas concern Gazprom to supply up to 110 billion cubic metres of gas to Germany, was formerly at the core of economic ties between the two countries, according to Marinetechnologynews, Oedigital, and Themoscowtimes.
Germany previously received half its natural gas imports through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which allowed Russia to bypass Soviet-era pipelines transiting Ukraine, as reported by Oedigital and Themoscowtimes.
The explosion of Nord Stream sealed the end of Germany's longstanding dependence on Russian natural gas, although Moscow had already cut supplies over Berlin's support for European sanctions following Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, as reported by Oedigital and Themoscowtimes.
Croatian authorities have arrested another man, identified as Vladimir Z., who prosecutors believe was one of the divers in the team, according to Marinetechnologynews, Oedigital, and Themoscowtimes.
Stefan Meister, of the German Council on Foreign Relations, told RFE/RL that the crucial question was “How much came from the top of the Ukrainian political system or how much was prepared by some insiders in the intelligence service?” as reported by Newscord.
A senior Ukrainian official told AFP that Kyiv has “no expectations from the trial,” as reported by The Times of Israel (Israel).
Russia said on Monday it expected a “just verdict” naming the perpetrators and those who ordered the operation, as reported by Al Jazeera (Qatar), Arabnews (Saudi Arabia), Marinetechnologynews, Newscord, Oedigital, and Themoscowtimes.
Background
A Ukrainian former military officer is standing trial in Germany, accused of organizing the secret operation that blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022, according to Al Jazeera (Qatar) and Arabnews (Saudi Arabia).
What's confirmed
- A Ukrainian former military officer is standing trial in Germany, accused of organising the secret operation that blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022 and cut Western Europe off from its biggest source of Russian natural gas.
- On September 26, 2022, Swedish seismologists detected several blasts, some 17 hours apart.
- Russia said on Monday it expected a “just verdict” naming the perpetrators and those who ordered the operation.
- It is the first public hearing of the evidence in a years-long investigation.
- Serhii K. has denied any involvement in the blasts that ruptured the 1,200-km (750-mile)-long Baltic Sea pipeline.
- Defense lawyers for a former Ukrainian army officer charged with damaging the Nord Stream gas pipelines in blasts four years ago have called for the dismissal of charges in the first day of his trial.
- Serhii Kuznietsov, 50, faces charges of causing an explosion, damaging property, disrupting public service and being an “accomplice to war crimes” by attacking civilian infrastructure.
- FILE - A suspect detained in Italy for the Nordstream pipelines bombing is lead from an helicopter to a motorcade to a court in Karlsruhe, Germany, Nov.
- Journalists wait at the entrance to the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court before the trial of Serhij K., a former Ukrainian army officer, in Hamburg, Germany, Wednesday, Oct.
- The trial that opened Wednesday in Hamburg centers on explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia and Germany in what is considered one of Europe’s biggest acts of sabotage since World War II.
- He is the only person on trial, but Croatian authorities have arrested another man, identified as Vladimir Z., who prosecutors believe was one of the divers in the team.
- The Nord Stream system, lying at a depth of 80 to 110 metres under the Baltic and built by Russian gas concern Gazprom to supply up to 110 billion cubic metres of gas to Germany, was formerly at the core of economic ties between the two countries.
What's still developing
- "They tried to make not a big story out of it, not to give it too much attention, to give it to the institutions, to the judiciary that they will deal with it. This is not a political case. So they tried to depoliticise it," he explained.
- His trial is currently scheduled to run until February 2027.
- Kuznietsov’s lawyers unsuccessfully tried to challenge the German court’s jurisdiction over the attacks, and suggested they may argue that the pipelines were legitimate military targets in Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion.
- Investigators allege the former Ukrainian special forces officer led a small group comprising professional divers, an explosives expert, and a boat skipper that planted explosives on the pipelines.
- " Russia is the only war criminal that belongs in the dock," said one of the dozens of protesters.
- It also rejects charges that it has more recently targeted Western infrastructure with so-called "hybrid" sabotage and drone attacks.
Sources
- Al Jazeeralink
- Arabnewslink
- Black Hills Pioneerlink
- Corsicana Daily Sunlink
- KTVNlink
- Macaubusinesslink
- Marinetechnologynewslink
- News-Press NOWlink
- Newscordlink
- Oedigitallink
- Oskaloosa Heraldlink
- The Daily Reflectorlink
- The Times of Israellink
- Themoscowtimeslink
- WarpBeat — background on Germany puts Ukrainian on trial accused of blowing up Nord Stream pipelines link
- Associated Press — video link