Germany to Try Ukrainian Soldier for Nord Stream Pipeline Sabotage

The German city of Hamburg is preparing for the trial of Serhiy Kuznetsov, a former Ukrainian special forces soldier suspected of leading the operation that blew up the "Nord Stream" pipelines in the Baltic Sea in 2022, in a case that raises legal and political repercussions beyond Germany and Ukraine.

Kuznetsov is scheduled to appear before the court next week, after being handed over to Germany and spending months in solitary confinement in a high-security prison.

He faces charges of causing an explosion and committing a war crime by targeting civilian infrastructure, and is suspected of carrying out the operation on behalf of "agencies affiliated with the Ukrainian state."

Both he and his country deny any involvement in the bombings.

4 Bombs
According to German investigations, the explosions occurred on September 26, 2022, damaging the "Nord Stream 1" and "Nord Stream 2" lines, leading to their shutdown.

The prosecution states that four explosive devices were planted at a depth of approximately 80 meters below sea level, and that Kuznetsov led a group comprising four divers who used a rented yacht named "Andromeda."

Suspicions initially pointed toward Russia, but German investigators followed forensic evidence that ultimately led them to Ukraine.

Investigations indicate that the suspect entered Germany using a forged passport, which security agencies believe was issued by Ukrainian authorities.

Kuznetsov was arrested in Italy during a family vacation, after Germany issued an arrest warrant against him. Italian police say an automatic alert was triggered immediately upon submission of his passport when checking into the resort where he stayed, leading to his arrest.

Ukrainian Denial
The list of suspects includes another individual, Ukrainian diver Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, who was arrested in Croatia in August and is fighting a legal battle to prevent his extradition to Germany.

Poland had refused last year to extradite him after his arrest in Warsaw, as a Polish judge viewed a potential Ukrainian attack on the pipelines as a legitimate act in the context of the war with Russia.

The case causes embarrassment for both the German and Ukrainian governments, as Germany has become the largest supplier of military aid to Kyiv, while the far-right "Alternative for Germany" party exploits the case to call for a halt to support provided to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has denied his country's involvement in the bombings.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said the discussion focuses on who blew up the pipelines rather than who built them, considering that they granted Russia a wider margin to move toward war because they reduced its reliance on gas transit through Ukraine.

Kuznetsov's defense team is expected to argue that he is not authorized to disclose details of his military activities, relying on sworn statements from two of his former senior commanders. The report indicates that one of them is the man widely accused of being the mastermind behind the operation.