He is kept in isolation, not allowed to make phone calls, and not given winter shoes. Kuznetsovʼs wife claims his rights have been violated

The wife of Ukrainian Serhiy Kuznetsov, who is suspected of undermining the “Nord Stream” pipeline, has claimed that his rights have been violated in the detention center in Hamburg, Germany.

In a letter to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, she said that since November 2025, Serhiy has not called even once, although the court officially allowed him to have telephone contacts. The pre-trial detention centerʼs administration explains that this is technically impossible.

Winter shoes, which are stored in the warehouse, are not given to Serhiy. Special meals, which are a mandatory condition for the maintenance of a Ukrainian, are provided partially, only during lunch.

In addition, according to his wife, Serhiy Kuznetsov is being held in a section for particularly dangerous prisoners, in de facto isolation — 23 hours a day in a solitary cell. His wife can only see him once a month. The last time was on January 14 of this year.

Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets stated that such conditions of detention of a Ukrainian may constitute inhuman and degrading treatment, and may also be regarded as a form of torture.

He will send letters with a list of recorded violations to the justice authorities, the penitentiary system, and human rights institutions in Germany. Lubinets will request permission to personally enter Kuznetsovʼs place of detention in order to speak with him confidentially and assess the extent to which his rights are being respected.

What is Serhiy Kuznetsov suspected of?

On September 26, 2022, three explosions occurred on the “Nord Stream 1” and “Nord Stream 2” pipelines, which run along the bottom of the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, causing massive gas leaks. Only one of the four strands of the pipeline remained intact.

The US, UK and EU governments have declared a deliberate sabotage. Russia believes that the US and its allies are interested in the bombings. Western and Russian media have written about different versions — from sabotage by the Russians themselves to the involvement of Ukraine.

On August 26, 2025, German investigators issued arrest warrants for six Ukrainians suspected of involvement in the bombing. Ukrainian Serhiy Kuznetsov, who was detained in Italy and suspected of involvement in the sabotage, denies the charges. An Italian court allowed his extradition to Germany.

On October 27, a court in Bologna ordered the extradition of Serhiy Kuznetsov to Germany. The defense appealed to the Italian Supreme Court.

On November 19, the Italian Supreme Court upheld the decision to extradite Serhiy Kuznetsov to Germany. In particular, the court found no evidence in favor of Kuznetsovʼs functional immunity as a Ukrainian military officer. One of the reasons was that no Ukrainian authority officially recognized the sabotage of “Nord Stream” as a military operation.

In November, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets wrote a letter to the Italian court, in which he admitted for the first time on behalf of the state that at the time of the explosions at “Nord Stream”, Kuznetsov was serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On November 27, Kuznetsov was extradited from Italy to Germany. He was arrested the next day.

Later, the Ukrainianʼs lawyer told Babel that he was treated worse in a German prison than in an Italian one. Kuznetsov lost even more weight — the issue of the required diet was never resolved, despite the fact that it was mentioned in the court decision and the prosecutorʼs letter.

The German staff treats the Ukrainian very contemptuously. They are putting psychological pressure on him to confess, but Kuznetsov will not do this.

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