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France 24
France 24
Politics
FRANCE 24

Trial lawyer for Ukrainian accused of sabotage says Russia used Nord Stream as a ‘weapon’

Former Ukrainian military officer Sergiy Kuznietsov at the start of his trial in Hamburg over the Nord Stream sabotage
Former Ukrainian military officer Sergiy Kuznietsov at the start of his trial in Hamburg over the Nord Stream sabotage on October 14, 2026. © Markus Scholz, AFP

The Nord Stream gas pipelines were a political and economic “weapon” for Russia, the lawyer for former Ukrainian officer Sergei Kuznetsov said Wednesday. The first to appear in the high-profile case, Kuznetsov is accused by German prosecutors of having led the plan to sabotage the infrastructure in 2022.

A lawyer for a Ukrainian accused of blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines supplying Russian gas to western Europe said Wednesday Moscow used the network to exert political and economic pressure, as the former military officer's trial opened in Germany.

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