Ukrainian officer faces 23-hour solitary confinement amid Nord-Stream sabotage trial
Serhii K., a Ukrainian officer charged in the Nord-Stream pipeline sabotage case, has been held in near-continuous isolation for eleven months, a condition his lawyer says hampers his defence.
The upcoming ruling by the Hamburg Oberlandesgericht will determine the fate of the Nord-Stream sabotage case, which seeks to identify those responsible for the 2022 explosions that crippled three of the four pipeline tubes. Defence counsel Jes Meyer-Lohkamp has asked the court to suspend the trial, citing two major obstacles: K.'s inability to discuss the alleged operation without risking prosecution in Ukraine, and his prolonged solitary confinement that restricts his access to information and preparation.
Since his extradition from Italy in November 2025, Serhii K. has been held in the Holstenglacis prison, confined to his cell for 23 hours daily, with only brief outdoor periods, occasional sports, and irregular German lessons. All his correspondence and visits are surveilled, and he is barred from receiving books or news material. His wife travels from Kyiv, risking exposure to Russian shelling, to see him for two hours under the watch of federal or state police. Federal prosecutor Stefan Schmidt has responded that monitoring does not constitute harsh conditions and that K. reports feeling well.
Why it matters
The case highlights how detention conditions can affect legal rights in high-profile international terrorism trials.
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