German prosecutors outline allegations in Nord Stream bombing trial
German prosecutors told the Hamburg trial on October 14 that the Nord Stream bombings had been carried out on instructions from Ukrainian state bodies. This is the prosecution’s allegation against Sergei Kuznetsov, not a court finding.
Kuznetsov is accused of leading a group that organised the September 2022 explosions on the Baltic Sea pipelines. Federal prosecutors classify the alleged conduct in part as a war crime involving an attack on civilian objects.
The defence disputes the allegations and sought termination of the proceedings. Lawyer Ilya Novikov told DW that prosecutors must prove their version beyond doubt. Kuznetsov declined to testify on the first day, which does not amount to an admission of guilt.
He was arrested in Italy in August 2025 and extradited to Germany that autumn. Investigators allege that he led the group and commanded the Andromeda yacht used in preparations. RBC, citing German reporting, described explosive traces on the vessel involving RDX and HMX.
RBC also relayed an N-tv account of the indictment. According to that account, Kuznetsov told his wife during a telephone conversation while detained in Italy that he had served in the Ukrainian army and worked for Ukraine’s Security Service during the period of the sabotage.
He allegedly wanted to contact someone named Roman. Investigators suspect this may have been former Ukrainian intelligence officer Roman Chervinsky. That identification remains an investigative theory rather than a fact established by a court.
RBC reported that 16 hearings were scheduled from October 14 to December 17. Germany separately suspects Ukrainian national Volodymyr Zhuravlov of involvement in the bombing. He was detained in Croatia in August and sought political asylum.
Zhuravlov had previously been detained in Poland in September 2025 under a German warrant, but a Warsaw court released him. German prosecutors allege that he was a diver in the group that placed explosives near Bornholm. The allegations against those involved remain subject to the applicable legal proceedings.
