Former Ukrainian officer Serhii Kuznietsov is being detained at a detention center in Hamburg, Germany. Serhii Kuznietsov is accused by the German side of being involved in sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines bringing Russian gas to Germany.
Arrested in August 2025 in Italy under a European arrest warrant issued by Berlin, Kuznietsov was extradited to Germany at the end of November of the same year.
Kuznetsov is accused of coordinating a group of 6 people to place explosives on the Nord Stream system in the fall of 2022.
After being extradited, Kuznietsov's contact with Ukrainian lawyers was limited to a few short meetings. The meetings were all with interpreters, who translated the private exchanges for 2 local security personnel present to monitor the entire exchange.
Ukrainian human rights inspector Dmytro Lubinets and Ukrainian lawyers expressed concern about Kuznietsov's detention conditions: Limited phone calls, not meeting a vegan diet, little outdoor exercise time and lack of winter shoes.
Kuznietsov's lawyer Mykola Katerynchuk told Kyiv Independent that he believes this is a politically motivated case and there is no direct evidence to prove his client is involved.
Kuznietsov's lawyers believe that the current evidence is limited, while the German investigating side said they are still collecting more data.
The investigation is expected to last 6 months. After this time, the court will decide whether Kuznietsov will continue to be detained or not. The trial may begin in April or May this year, with the first hearings expected to take place at the end of the summer.
The German prosecutor said that the current evidence includes: DNA test results, photos of a person crossing the border into the EU who looks like Kuznietsov but uses a different name, and the testimony of the driver who is said to have transported the suspect by bus.
Lawyer Katerynchuk questioned the origin of the photos, documents and witness statements. He said that the German prosecutor once asked for permission to take more DNA samples but the court rejected it.
According to him, the defense side did not know where and under what circumstances the initial DNA sample was collected.
Kuznetsov's other lawyer, Ilya Novikov, said that the German side expects their client to cooperate in the investigation, which they believe can help prove that Ukrainian leaders ordered sabotage of Nord Stream.
For his part, Kuznietsov continuously denied any involvement.
The defense strategy for the Ukrainian suspect is also divided into two directions: German lawyers focus on arguing that there is not enough evidence to incriminate, while Ukrainian lawyers defend the legality of the sabotage of Nord Stream, regardless of who carried it out.
Ukrainian officials confirmed that Kuznietsov used to serve in the country's army. Kuznietsov joined the army when the conflict broke out, served in the special operations force and left the army in 2023.
As a military personnel at the time of the Nord Stream explosion, according to defense arguments, they may be entitled to immunity, a mechanism to protect soldiers from being prosecuted abroad for acts performed on behalf of the state.
The German court rejected the immunity request, arguing that the Nord Stream gas pipeline was not a legal military target. The court also ruled that the suspect could not cite combat immunity because this regulation does not apply to secret operations when soldiers cannot distinguish between civilians.
