The key facts
- Defense of Serhii K. demanded the Nord Stream trial be terminated, citing lack of evidence of his leading role.
- Germany's Federal Prosecutor's Office accuses him of organizing the explosions as a serviceman with the knowledge of Ukrainian state authorities.
- K. will not testify because, per his former commander, he served in a secret unit and cannot disclose service details even in court.
The first day of the trial over the sabotage of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in Hamburg ended early. The defense of Ukrainian citizen Serhii K. demanded the termination of the court proceedings.
The lawyers rejected the war crime charge and stated there is no evidence of K.'s leading role in organizing the explosions. They also consider his extradition from Italy unlawful.
Germany's Federal Prosecutor's Office accuses the Ukrainian of organizing the explosions, destroying structures, and disrupting the operation of public infrastructure facilities. According to the prosecution, he acted as a serviceman and with the knowledge of Ukrainian state authorities.
Lawyer Jes Meyer-Lockamp said his client will not testify on the merits of the case. He cited a statement by K.'s former commander, Roman Chervinsky, who is considered one of the key organizers of the sabotage.
According to Chervinsky, K. served in a secret unit and has no right to disclose details of his service even in court. The defense believes this deprives him of the ability to defend himself effectively and demands the trial be terminated.
@dwglavnoe
