The Higher Regional Court of Hamburg has denied the “Nord Stream” AG and the “Nord Stream 2” AG the status of additional prosecutors in criminal proceedings regarding the sabotage of gas pipelines.
This was reported by the defenders of Serhiy Kuznetsov.
The decision was made on September 30. The court ruled that the companies had no “special reasons” to participate in the proceedings in this status. Under German law, an injured party can join a public prosecution if the crime has caused them, in particular, serious consequences.
The “Nord Stream AG” and the “Nord Stream 2 AG” claimed that the destruction of the pipelines caused them “existential damage”. The court disagreed. The construction cost of the pipelines was €7.4 billion and €9.5 billion respectively, while the cost of their restoration is only a fraction of this amount.
Therefore, the court does not consider that the companies suffered a complete economic loss.
The court also noted that the subsequent economic consequences for the companies were not caused directly by the sabotage, but by political decisions after the start of Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The court separately emphasized that the criminal trial is not intended to establish circumstances that could be used for future reparations claims by Russia against Ukraine, or to search for potential defendants in civil lawsuits.
The economic claims of the “Nord Stream” operators, in particular for damages, should be considered in civil proceedings.
At the same time, companies will be able to re-file a motion to participate in the case if the defense brings charges against them during the main trial.
The “Nord Stream” explosions
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.
On August 26, 2025, German investigators issued arrest warrants for six Ukrainians suspected of involvement in the bombing. The main suspect in the case is Ukrainian Serhiy Kuznetsov, believed to be the commander of the group that blew up the gas pipelines. He denies the charges.
In August 2025, Kuznetsov was detained in Italy, and in November he was extradited to Germany and arrested there. On July 1, 2026, German prosecutors officially indicted Kuznetsov, and he is scheduled to stand trial in Hamburg (Germany) at the end of October.
Another suspect — Volodymyr Zhuravlyov — was detained in Croatia on August 19 and charged with conspiracy to commit an explosion, unconstitutional sabotage, and destruction of structures.
According to the German investigation, he was one of the divers who planted explosives on the gas pipelines. In 2024, Zhuravlyov was tried to be arrested in Poland, but he managed to leave for Ukraine.
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