Hamburg court rejects request to drop Nord Stream case against Ukrainian officer Serhii Kuznetsov
On October 27, 2026, the Hamburg Higher Regional Court rejected lawyers’ request to discontinue proceedings against Serhii Kuznetsov over the Nord Stream pipeline explosions and kept the trial on schedule. The court said German law protects Kuznetsov’s rights to defend himself and testify, regardless of service rules in another country.
Key points
- Hamburg’s Higher Regional Court rejected the defence request on October 27, 2026.
- The court decided to continue the proceedings according to the scheduled timetable.
- Kuznetsov, 50, has faced trial in Hamburg since October 14 over the Nord Stream pipeline explosions.
- His charges include causing an explosion, property damage, disrupting public services and participating in war crimes through an attack on civilian infrastructure.
- The defence says state secrecy obligations prevented him from consulting his lawyers freely or testifying.
- The court said German law does not limit an accused person’s defence or testimony rights because of service rules in another country.
- Underwater explosions on September 26, 2022, damaged three of the four Nord Stream pipeline lines.
- Kuznetsov was arrested in Italy in summer 2025 and transferred or extradited to Germany in November 2025.
Why it matters
The ruling keeps the German criminal case active and advances the debate over legal accountability for the destruction of European civilian energy infrastructure. The dispute over military secrecy and the right to remain silent could determine how much Kuznetsov is able to participate in his defence. The proceedings also connect the sabotage allegations to Germany’s assertion that the group acted on behalf of Ukrainian authorities, while raising questions about international transfer and detention conditions in Germany.
What happened
The Hamburg Higher Regional Court held its second hearing in the Nord Stream case on October 27 and rejected the defence request to discontinue proceedings. The judges said Kuznetsov is not restricted in his right to defend himself and that his freedom to testify in Germany is not limited by the service rules of another country. The court retained the trial schedule.
The defence argues that Kuznetsov was an active servicemember when the explosions occurred and was bound by state-secrecy obligations. According to his lawyers, this prevented him from consulting them freely or testifying without risking severe consequences in Ukraine. Kuznetsov has refused to testify on those grounds. His lawyers also say no eyewitness placed him on the yacht and that investigators found no DNA belonging to him aboard it.
The prosecution alleges that Kuznetsov led the operation. According to the investigation, he organised and carried out the detonation of at least four explosive devices, each weighing 14 to 27 kilograms, at a depth of 70–80 metres near the Danish island of Bornholm. The official German prosecution position is that Kuznetsov and other group members acted on behalf of Ukrainian authorities.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage has focused on Kuznetsov’s military status, state-secrecy obligations, refusal to testify and detention conditions in Germany. It has also highlighted Zelensky’s denial of any Ukrainian involvement and Ukraine’s offer to assist the investigation. Ukrainian outlets have relayed the defence’s position that investigators lack direct evidence linking Kuznetsov to the yacht or the explosions.
How international sources describe it
International coverage has centred on the Hamburg court’s procedural decision, Germany’s position on defence and testimony rights, and the continuation of the trial timetable. The case is presented through the prosecution of a former Ukrainian officer over the Nord Stream explosions, including the claim that the group acted for Ukrainian authorities.
Where reporting differs
The defence and prosecution differ over whether Kuznetsov’s former military status and state-secrecy duties limit his ability to consult lawyers or testify. His lawyers argue that the secrecy regime prevented him from participating freely and that investigators lack direct evidence against him. The court and prosecutor say German law protects his defence and testimony rights regardless of service rules in another country.
There is also a fundamental difference over state responsibility. Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office alleges that Kuznetsov and other participants acted on behalf of Ukrainian authorities, while Ukraine’s official position rejects any Ukrainian connection to the sabotage. The evidence underlying the prosecution’s allegations remains disputed by the defence.
Background
Underwater explosions on September 26, 2022, damaged three of the four Nord Stream pipeline lines in the Baltic Sea. Nord Stream 1 had been the main route for Russian gas supplies to Germany until Moscow halted deliveries in August 2022. Nord Stream 2 had not entered service because Germany suspended its certification shortly before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Germany investigates the explosions as sabotage and identifies Kuznetsov and Volodymyr Zhuravlyov among suspected Ukrainian participants. Danish and Swedish authorities closed their investigations in February 2024 for lack of grounds to initiate criminal proceedings. Kuznetsov was arrested in Italy in 2025 under a European arrest warrant and transferred or extradited to Germany in November 2025.