A Ukrainian man has gone on trial in Hamburg over the Nord Stream pipeline explosions, four years after the attacks on the gas links between Russia and Germany.
German prosecutors accuse Serhii Kuznetsov, 50, of leading a team that destroyed the pipelines and have charged him with a war crime. They allege he directed divers and an explosives expert to attack civilian infrastructure. Kuznetsov denies the charges, and his defence has asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that the evidence is circumstantial.
Kuznetsov was extradited from Italy to Germany last year and is the first suspect to face trial over the blasts. A second suspect also denies involvement and is fighting extradition from Croatia. The attacks happened seven months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, making the case sensitive for Germany, a close Ukrainian ally.
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