A trial began in Hamburg on October 14, 2026, involving Serhii Kuznietsov, a former Ukrainian intelligence officer and army captain, who is accused of orchestrating the sabotage of Russia’s Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in September 2022. German prosecutors allege that Kuznietsov led a state-backed unit tasked with carrying out one of the most significant acts of sabotage in Europe since World War II, destroying three of the four undersea pipelines running through the Baltic Sea.
According to the prosecution, Kuznietsov, acting alongside other members of a special Ukrainian sabotage unit, devised the plan in April 2022 under instructions from unidentified Ukrainian state authorities. The operation involved using a rented yacht to transport explosives and operatives, including divers, who attached bombs with time fuses to the pipelines east of the Danish island of Bornholm. Prosecutors described the attack as a professional and dangerous mission aimed at disrupting the pipelines, which symbolize Europe’s former energy dependence on Russia, especially Germany.
Kuznietsov faces multiple charges, including causing explosions, property damage, and complicity in war crimes. The war crimes charge has generated controversy. His defense lawyer, Nicola Canestrini, questioned why a Ukrainian—who comes from the country invaded by Russia—was the first individual prosecuted on war crime charges by German authorities in relation to this case. Canestrini also claimed that the German prosecutors bypassed Italian courts during Kuznietsov’s extradition, alleging a lack of legal basis for changing the charges after his transfer from Italy, where he was arrested in August 2025 while on holiday in Rimini.
The defense argues that the Nord Stream pipelines were a military and financial asset for Russia, financing an ongoing war against Ukraine, and thus their destruction may constitute a lawful military target. Canestrini further contended that Kuznietsov cannot mount a full defense because he is compelled to withhold Ukrainian state secrets and that political interests risk turning the trial into a show trial. The defense also raised security concerns, with Kuznietsov reportedly placed under special protection in German custody amid fears that he may be a target for Russian assassination efforts.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently denied any official involvement by Kyiv in the sabotage, stating publicly that Ukraine never participated in operations related to the Nord Stream explosions. Since the trial’s commencement, he has not commented further on the matter.
The explosions significantly affected the Nord Stream pipelines—key elements linking Russian gas exports to Germany—and highlighted Europe’s vulnerability and dependence on Russian energy supplies. Initial suspicions for the attack centered on Russia, despite the pipeline’s economic importance to Gazprom, the Russian state-controlled gas company. However, over time, German authorities have publicly presented growing evidence implicating Ukrainian military intelligence in planning and executing the operation.
The trial is expected to continue until February 2027. Another suspect, Volodymyr Zhuravlev, is currently in custody in Croatia and awaits transfer to Germany for related proceedings. The case has elicited political sensitivity in Germany, which remains a staunch supporter of Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict with Russia, and has drawn protests outside the Hamburg court by demonstrators asserting that Russia is the true aggressor.