A former Ukrainian officer goes on trial in Germany over the Nord Stream pipeline blasts

Serhii Kuznietsov, 50, is the first person tried over the September 2022 explosions that damaged the gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea; his trial opened Wednesday in Hamburg.

The charges

• Causing an explosion
• Damaging property
• Disrupting public service
• Accomplice to war crimes

He faces charges of causing an explosion, damaging property, disrupting public service and being an accomplice to war crimes by attacking civilian infrastructure.

His lawyers asked for all charges to be dismissed, arguing that as a Ukrainian officer he is barred from speaking and that the pipelines were a Russian weapon, not civilian infrastructure.

What's next

Ukraine denies any role in the blasts; 16 court dates are set through Dec 17, more are planned for January, and no date for a verdict is known.