Ukrainian man goes on trial in Hamburg over Nord Stream blasts

Serhii Kuznetsov, a 50-year-old Ukrainian man, went on trial in Hamburg on Wednesday accused of playing a leading role in blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022. German prosecutors charge him with a war crime. His defence has called for the case to be dismissed.

What is Serhii Kuznetsov accused of?

German prosecutors allege Kuznetsov played a leading role in a team of saboteurs that destroyed the pipelines, and charge him with a war crime under Germany’s code of crimes against international law – an “attack by military means against civilian objects”. Prosecutors say he ordered divers and an explosive expert to attack civilian infrastructure.

Kuznetsov is the first suspect to go on trial over the blasts and denies the charges, as does a second suspect who is fighting extradition from Croatia. He had previously been identified only as Serhii K; a court spokeswoman said he had waived his anonymity.

What does the defence say?

The defence called for the case to be dismissed, telling the Hamburg court that only circumstantial evidence had emerged in four years. “They did not find one single witness, they did not find no forensics, no DNA, no fingerprints – nothing!” Italian defence lawyer Nicola Canestrini told the BBC outside the courtroom.

Canestrini and his colleagues argued that as a soldier the defendant was bound to secrecy, so he could not have a fair trial because he was unable to defend himself. The defence also said his extradition was flawed because the war crime allegation had not been mentioned at the time.

What happened to the Nord Stream pipelines?

Explosives destroyed three of the four Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea off the Danish island of Bornholm on 26 September 2022. Russia had already shut off the flow of gas to Germany through Nord Stream 1, and Nord Stream 2 had never been turned on.

In the months after the blasts, Western suspicion looked towards Moscow without directly apportioning blame. Russia’s Vladimir Putin accused the United States and its UK allies, blaming “the Anglo-Saxons”, which they denied. Moscow has also charged Japanese reporter Yuki Imai with espionage.

Sweden and Denmark shut down their inquiries, and German prosecutors focused on a group of deep-sea divers who had rented a yacht called the Andromeda in the northern German port of Rostock. In January 2025, Germany’s federal court of justice ruled the case fell within German territorial jurisdiction and that prosecutors had a responsibility to act, as it involved “undermining [Germany’s] internal security”.

Why is the case politically sensitive in Germany?

Germany has been one of Ukraine’s closest allies since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, seven months before the attacks. The indictment alleges the saboteurs conceived the plot “acting by order of Ukrainian state agencies”, while Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky has always maintained that Ukraine had “nothing to do with [the Nord Stream blasts]”. Zelensky has also said that Russia hit six energy sites after a Trump ceasefire.

Oleksandr Merezhko, who chairs the foreign affairs committee in Ukraine’s parliament, said the blasts took place during a war with Russia and that “Nord Stream 2 was nothing but a tool used by Russia in order to get prepared for the war”. He told the BBC there was no confirmation of the German account: “It’s one of the versions.”

Stefan Meister, of the German Council on Foreign Relations, said Berlin had tried to depoliticise the case: “This is not a political case. So they tried to depoliticise it,” he said.

How was Kuznetsov arrested?

Kuznetsov was arrested in August 2025 near the Italian Adriatic resort of Rimini, under a European arrest warrant issued by federal prosecutors in Germany. After several weeks of court battles over extradition, during which his surname emerged in court documents, he was transferred to Germany late last year.

Frequently asked questions

Who is on trial over the Nord Stream pipeline explosions?

Serhii Kuznetsov, a 50-year-old Ukrainian man, went on trial in Hamburg on Wednesday 14 October 2026, becoming the first suspect to face trial over the September 2022 blasts. He denies the charges.

What does Serhii Kuznetsov’s defence argue?

His lawyers, led by Italian defence lawyer Nicola Canestrini, called for the case to be dismissed, saying only circumstantial evidence had emerged in four years. They also argued he could not get a fair trial because, as a soldier, he was bound to secrecy.

When were the Nord Stream pipelines destroyed?

Explosives destroyed three of the four Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea off the Danish island of Bornholm on 26 September 2022.

Why is the trial politically sensitive in Germany?

Germany is one of Ukraine’s closest allies, and the indictment alleges the saboteurs conceived the plot acting on orders of Ukrainian state agencies, which Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky denies.

With reporting from BBC News.

Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)