Seven people are suspected of involvement in the September 2022 sabotage of the Russian-owned Nord Stream gas pipelines, which run from Russia to Germany.
One of the main suspects, a Ukrainian man who was arrested last year, is the first to stand trial. He is accused of using a false identity and renting a yacht in Germany, from which the sabotage is alleged to have been carried out. The 50-year-old is accused of committing war crimes by using “methods of warfare,” according to the indictment, NDR reports. The man denies the charges.
Great interest
Interest in the trial is high - more than a hundred journalists and photographers are present on the first day, according to the court in Hamburg.
The trial began at 11 a.m. When the accused entered the courtroom, he gave a brief military salute, NDR reports. He then refused to speak.
The man’s defense attorneys are calling for the case against him to be dismissed. They argue that because the 50-year-old was an officer in the Ukrainian army, he has no opportunity to speak and is “forced to defend himself with his hands tied.”
The proceedings were suspended after just over two hours. The next hearing is not until October 27.
The trial is expected to last a long time; 16 trial sessions have been scheduled so far.
The sabotage of Nord Stream took place in international waters, in the Danish and Swedish economic zones. It is believed to have been carried out by a group of divers who attached explosive charges to the pipelines at a depth of about 80 meters. According to information from the investigation, the suspected perpetrators were recruited in Ukraine.
Germany is the only country bordering the Baltic Sea to bring charges after investigations in Sweden and Denmark were closed.
Ukraine denies state involvement
Kyiv and Moscow have accused each other of being behind the bombings. Ukraine has denied any state involvement in the sabotage.
Russia’s Nord Stream 2 project was completed in 2021 but never went into operation after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine the following year. The Nord Stream 1 pipeline was inaugurated in 2011 but was shut down for maintenance before the explosions. It has remained closed since the sabotage.
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