The lawyer for Ukrainian soldier Kuznetsov has responded to the Nord Stream case

“Prior to this, an appeal had been filed challenging the fact that the prosecution had not provided all the case materials on which Sergei’s arrest—which had actually expired on May 28—was based. Therefore, they were supposed to either choose a new preventive measure for him or release him. However, a week before that date, the prosecutor’s office appealed to the Supreme Court to extend both the arrest and the investigation. We thought the investigation would be extended for another three months, conditionally. But, as we understand it, the court did not support their position, so they were forced to file this indictment immediately," he noted.

Katerynchuk noted that the defense attorneys had taken note of the comments made by the German prosecutor’s office regarding this charge.

“To put it mildly, this looks like some kind of mockery. They say he incriminated himself in the bombing of the ‘Nord Stream’ pipelines because he allegedly discussed it with his wife over the phone while he was still in Italy. And she called him a hero. That’s what we read yesterday in the German press. What evidence is actually in the case? The German lawyers know this. But they’re not allowed to discuss it. We, the Ukrainian lawyers, did not have full access to the case materials. Now they are becoming available. So we will analyze everything.

There are 106 pages of the indictment that we have to review. We have two months by law to do so. But we have already objected to the fact that the defense was not provided with all the volumes on which the indictment is based. So now we’ll see what’s ultimately in the case file—what evidence and assumptions are there, and what overall picture the prosecution has painted. If necessary, the defense may request an extension of this deadline,” the attorney emphasized, adding that the question of when the first trial hearing on the merits of the case will take place now depends on the defense, since it, too, needs to conduct its own investigation. 

Speaking about Kuznetsov’s conditions of detention, the lawyer reported that the warden of the prison where his client is being held recently changed, which led to the cancellation of previously reached agreements regarding improvements to his conditions of detention.

“Questions have arisen again regarding his meals. It had previously been agreed that lawyers could bring him printouts of news articles from the internet; although they were reviewed, he was still able to read about current events. That is no longer the case. He was allowed to use a computer that contained information exclusively related to his case. Now that option has been revoked as well. We understand that this is because, to date, Serhiy has said nothing other than his first name, patronymic, and unit number—and that he considers himself a prisoner of war. That is why he is demanding appropriate detention conditions. The conditions for officer prisoners of war are more lenient than those in which Serhiy is currently being held—this is a solitary confinement cell for particularly dangerous criminals and terrorists. Even though he hasn’t killed anyone. And the German legal system is aware that he is a soldier. It also knows that a war is ongoing in Ukraine, in which Serhiy participated. But they believe that by treating him this way, they will force him to confess to something. Yet he says nothing. On June 28, his wife visited him. She said it’s extremely hot there—up to 50 degrees. There’s no air conditioning. There’s only a small window in the cell. Serhiy copes as best he can—he sticks his head in a bucket of water, pours water over himself, and puts a wet towel on his head to try to bring down his temperature. It’s impossible to sleep there because the room gets scorching hot, and you feel like you’re sitting in a sauna. But visits from his wife or defense attorneys always cheer him up,” the defense attorney said.

Mykola Katerynchuk, the Ukrainian’s lawyer, said this in a comment to Censor.NET.
 

In Germany, charges have been filed against the Ukrainian in the Nord Stream case.

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