Court refuses to close proceedings regarding Nord Stream explosions, despite lack of evidence against Kuznetsov, - lawyer
The Higher Regional Court in Hamburg, Germany, has denied a motion to dismiss the case against Ukrainian soldier Serhiy Kuznetsov, who is suspected of sabotaging the "Nord Stream" pipelines; therefore, the trial on the merits of the case continues.
Mykola Katerynchuk, the Ukrainian man's attorney, said this in a comment to Censor.NET.
Details
According to him, on October 27, during a court hearing, the prosecutor presented the experts.
"They spoke about the explosives used by those who blew up the 'Nord Stream.' In other words, they provided a detailed account of the information supplied by the Nord Stream company: where the pipes ran, how they were secured, what the pressure was like there, what caused the explosion, where it occurred, and what the consequences were. The court heard from experts who testified regarding the investigation into this aspect, which was mentioned in the indictment presented by the prosecutor."
There are no witnesses in the case file who could have identified Sergei Kuznetsov. Nor is there any evidence of his involvement in the use of explosives, a point the defense attorneys emphasized following the prosecutor’s impassioned speech and the experts’ testimony. They asked, "You talk a lot about some kind of explosive, but what does Kuznetsov have to do with it?!" "So far, this question has remained unanswered," the defense attorney noted.
Katerynchuk noted that the German lawyers had identified the following pieces of evidence in the case file: Kuznetsov’s watch, the forged passport he allegedly used to cross the border, and conversations with his wife and an Italian lawyer.
"But German law differs from ours—there, the investigation continues until the court’s decision becomes final. In other words, the investigation is still ongoing, and at any moment the investigators could present something to the court that they consider to be evidence. Therefore, it cannot be said that there is already an exhaustive list of the evidence on which the charges are based," the attorney noted.
Commenting on the prosecution’s assertion that Kuznetsov was the leader of the group that allegedly carried out the pipeline bombings, he emphasized:
"That's their assumption. That's exactly what the suspicion states—they believe there were seven people on board: a diver, a skipper, a first mate, a radio operator, and so on, and Kuznetsov was the senior officer, so he was most likely the one who organized everything. That's the logic."
The defense attorney stated that Kuznetsov’s lawyers had drawn the court’s attention to his detention in a Hamburg prison:
"He was held in solitary confinement. Since their cells are overcrowded, they have no other option but to place him there. It turned out to be a lie, and the administration was caught in it. Now the lawyers are going to pursue this and prove in court that the conditions under which Sergei Kuznetsov was held were deliberately created."
They want to find out whether this was a written order from the prosecutor’s office or someone’s verbal request. They want to question in court the prison administration—which has since changed—as well as all the guards who were responsible for Kuznetsov’s detention in his cell and escorted him around the prison, in order to determine why he was held under such conditions. These conditions directly contradicted the obligations Germany assumed during the extradition proceedings, when the court sought to determine under what conditions Kuznetsov would be held.
"They were completely different. This issue will be the subject of a separate investigation, because we, the defense, believe that this constituted direct pressure on Kuznetsov to take the blame or plead guilty."
He also said that the next court hearing will take place on November 4.
"In general, this year the prosecutor's office will present all of its arguments in support of the charges. So, over the next two months, we will be hearing them at the hearings. And after the New Year, the defense will present its witnesses, experts, and so on," Katerynchuk added.
- As a reminder, on October 14, the trial of Sergei Kuznetsov began in Germany; he is accused of organizing a covert operation to blow up the "Nord Stream" gas pipelines in September 2022.
The Sabotage of the "Nord Stream" Pipelines
- On September 26, 2022, three explosions occurred on the "Nord Stream 1" and "Nord Stream 2" pipelines, which run along the bottom of the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, causing massive gas leaks.
- The governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the EU have stated that this was a deliberate act of sabotage.
- In early February 2024, Sweden closed its investigation into the bombing of the "Nord Stream" pipeline due to lack of jurisdiction.
- Subsequently, Germany issued arrest warrants for all suspects in the 2022 sabotage attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines. All of them are Ukrainian citizens.
- The Bologna Court of Appeals ruled to extradite Ukrainian citizen Serhiy Kuznetsov to Germany.
- On October 1, the Warsaw District Court ruled to remand Ukrainian national Volodymyr Zh. into custody for seven days; German authorities suspect him of involvement in the 2022 bombing of the "Nord Stream" gas pipelines.
- On October 6, the Warsaw Regional Court extended by 40 days the detention of Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Zh.
- The Bologna Court of Appeals upheld the decision to extradite to Germany Ukrainian citizen Serhiy Kuznetsov, who is suspected of involvement in the 2022 bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
- Later, the Italian Constitutional Court authorized the extradition of Ukrainian citizen Serhiy Kuznetsov to Germany.
- On November 27, Italy extradited Ukrainian citizen Serhiy Kuznetsov to Germany.
- On November 28, Kuznetsova was taken into custody in Germany.
- According to media reports, Kuznetsov served in the Special Operations Forces.
- On July 1, 2026, the German Attorney General filed formal charges for the first time against Ukrainian citizen Serhiy Kuznetsov, who is suspected of involvement in the sabotage of the "Nord Stream 1" and "Nord Stream 2" gas pipelines on September 26, 2022.
