Trial opens for Ukrainian soldier accused in Nord Stream sabotage

• Prosecutors allege the man behind the attack and others placed timer-controlled explosives at a depth of 80 meters in the Baltic Sea
• Kuznetsov and the Ukrainian government deny any involvement in the sabotage
• The proceedings have intensified political debates in Germany, with opposition parties questioning continued aid to Ukraine 

The trial of a Ukrainian military officer accused of participating in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage opened in Hamburg on Wednesday, marking the first court proceedings over the attack on European energy infrastructure.

Serhii Kuznetsov, a special forces officer from the Ukrainian military, appeared in court flanked by defense lawyers as federal prosecutors read out an indictment charging him with attacking civilian infrastructure, causing an explosion, damaging property, and disrupting public services. 

Kuznetsov, who was extradited from Italy following his arrest on a false passport in August 2025, listened in silence alongside his legal team as the charges were translated into Ukrainian.

According to German prosecutors, Kuznetsov acted alongside six accomplices, including deep-sea divers, an explosives expert, and a ship captain, who allegedly used a rented yacht to place timer-controlled explosive devices along the Baltic Sea pipeline route near the Danish island of Bornholm. 

The resulting detonations on September 26, 2022, severely damaged both Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, cutting off major gas transit routes between Russia and Germany.

Both Kuznetsov and the Ukrainian government have consistently denied any involvement in the operation. 

While initial global speculation pointed to various state actors, German prosecutors previously stated in July that Ukrainian authorities were suspected of ordering the attack to permanently disrupt Russian natural gas revenues. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has refuted those claims.

The trial has drawn heightened attention due to its geopolitical sensitivity. Outside the courthouse on Wednesday, pro-Ukrainian demonstrators gathered alongside political activists calling for parliamentary inquiries into the attack. Meanwhile, domestic political parties in Germany have seized on the case to question the future of energy policy and foreign aid. The German federal government has declined to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings.