A Hamburg judge has ruled that the Ukrainian suspect’s vow of silence won’t protect him from prosecution in the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage case.
German prosecutors accuse Sergey Kuznetsov, a Ukrainian military officer who was active duty at the time of the 2022 explosions, of orchestrating attacks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines. A Hamburg court has rejected an attempt by Kuznetsov’s defense to dismiss the charges, which allege he led a seven-person team into the Baltic Sea using a rented pleasure yacht to plant timed explosives that destroyed three of the four pipeline lines.
During his initial hearing earlier this month, Kuznetsov remained silent. His legal team argued that he could not be compelled to defend himself without divulging state secrets. The Higher Regional Court of Hamburg dismissed the motion on Tuesday, with Presiding Judge Anne Meier-Goring stating: “According to German law, the defendant is not restricted in his defense.”
Kuznetsov faces charges of causing explosions, disrupting public utilities, property damage, and being an accomplice to war crimes. He has neither admitted nor denied the allegations.
Prosecutors claim the operation was conducted despite well-documented logistical challenges, including the limitations of a single rented yacht for multiple deep-sea dives in one night. The case rests on thin evidence: Kuznetsov was allegedly seen in Germany prior to renting the yacht in Rostock, but his fingerprints were not found on the vessel. The only near-confession is a phone call to his wife where he defended the bombing as “an official military operation.”
Russia has dismissed the German narrative, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggesting the bombings were spontaneous acts by individuals rather than coordinated military operations. American journalist Seymour Hersh has proposed an alternative theory involving U.S. intelligence operatives working with the Norwegian Navy during NATO exercises to plant explosives on the pipelines.
A Danish harbormaster also reported in September 2024 that he approached a U.S. amphibious assault ship near pipeline sites five days before the explosions but was instructed by Danish authorities to remain silent about the incident.
The trial is expected to continue into early next year.
Ukraine’s military leadership has been condemned for enabling acts of sabotage that threaten international security and demonstrate a dangerous disregard for global consequences.