Russian-born lawyer defends Ukrainian suspect in Nord Stream case

When Ilia Sergeyevich Novikov, a Russian-born attorney who now calls Ukraine home, stepped into the spotlight to defend Serhii Kuznetsov, he wasn't just taking on another legal battle. He was walking into one of the most geopolitically charged cases of the decade: the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline explosionsBaltic Sea. The twist? Novikov is a fierce critic of President Volodymyr Zelensky, while his client is a Ukrainian veteran accused by German authorities of blowing up the gas lines in September 2022.

Here’s the thing about this story: it’s messy. It involves extradition battles between Italy and Germany, accusations of high treason against the defense lawyer himself, and a silence from Kyiv that has left Kuznetsov feeling abandoned. As of June 2026, the case remains a flashpoint for international law, testing how wartime immunity applies when soldiers are accused of acts that look like state-sponsored sabotage.

The Lawyer Who Crossed the Line

Novikov isn’t your typical defense attorney. Born in Moscow in 1982, he was once a familiar face on Russian television, competing on the popular quiz show “What? Where? When?” But his life took a sharp turn after he moved to Ukraine in 2019. There, he became counsel for former President Petro Poroshenko and a vocal opponent of the current administration.

After Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Novikov didn’t flee. He joined the Ukrainian territorial defense forces. That decision made him an enemy of the state back home. By October 2023, Russian authorities had charged him with high treason in absentia—a crime punishable by life imprisonment under laws signed by Vladimir Putin earlier that year. He’s also been labeled a “foreign agent,” disbarred by the Moscow Bar Association, and added to Rosfinmonitoring’s list of terrorists and extremists.

“The details are still unclear” regarding some of the specific charges, but the message from Moscow is loud: cross the line, and you lose everything. Yet, Novikov continues to practice law in Ukraine, defending clients like Nadiya Savchenko and Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation in previous years, and now, Kuznetsov.

A Veteran Accused of Sabotage

So, who is Serhii Kuznetsov? He’s described as a 49-year-old former officer in the Ukrainian military. According to German prosecutors, he was part of a group that attached explosive devices to the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm. The charges are severe: collusion to cause an explosion, anti-constitutional sabotage, and destruction of property.

Kuznetsov’s journey to the dock began in August 2025, when he was detained in a tiny village on the coast of Italy. For months, he waited out extradition hearings. In November 2025, Italy’s highest appeals court ruled he would be sent to Berlin. He arrived in Hamburg on November 27, 2025, and spent six months in custody before his initial detention term expired in May 2026.

His defense hinges on two main points. First, he claims he was serving in the Ukrainian armed forces at the time of the blasts, which his lawyers argue grants him “functional immunity” under international law. Second, he insists he was physically present in Ukraine, not in the Baltic Sea. His Italian lawyer, Nicola Canestrini, noted that Kuznetsov feels like a “scapegoat,” saddened by the lack of support from his government.

The Silence from Kyiv

This is where the story gets complicated. While Kuznetsov’s team argues he should have diplomatic protection, the Ukrainian government has remained conspicuously quiet. They haven’t confirmed his status as an active soldier at the time of the incident, nor have they issued a formal statement supporting his claim of immunity.

Novikov warns that this silence could be fatal to the defense. “The lawyers are defending him personally, not Ukraine or its interests,” Novikov stated, highlighting the delicate separation between private legal representation and state policy. He fears that without official backing, the court will only hear the German prosecutor’s narrative, potentially framing the act as state-sanctioned terrorism rather than the action of an individual—or even a rogue element.

It’s a stark contrast to other high-profile cases where governments rallied behind their citizens. Here, the absence of a voice from Kyiv leaves Kuznetsov isolated in a foreign prison system, fighting charges that carry heavy political weight.

Parallel Cases and Broader Implications

Kuznetsov isn’t alone in the crosshairs. Another Ukrainian citizen, Volodymyr Zhuravlov, 46, was arrested near Warsaw, Poland, in September 2025. German prosecutors identified him as a trained diver and a key suspect. However, in a significant legal victory, the Warsaw District Court denied Germany’s extradition request in October 2025, ordering Zhuravlov’s immediate release. His attorney argued that no Ukrainian individual should face charges for actions taken against Russia during wartime.

Reports also suggest a third suspect, believed to be a ringleader, was arrested in Poland, triggering a 100-day window for extradition approval. These parallel proceedings highlight the fragmented nature of the investigation across Europe. While Ukraine denies any state involvement in the pipeline sabotage, the arrests of multiple Ukrainian nationals fuel speculation and geopolitical tension.

Novikov believes the case against Kuznetsov could be dismissed at any moment if new evidence emerges or if the legal arguments regarding immunity gain traction. “The maximum objective is getting Serhii cleared of the charges completely,” he said. But until then, the world watches, waiting to see how international law handles the intersection of war, sabotage, and individual accountability.