Former Ukrainian officer goes on trial in Germany over Nord Stream pipeline blasts

For more than a year Serhii Kei has been in German custody. Now he is on trial, accused of leading a group of six people who blew up the Nord Stream pipelines four years ago. Prosecutors allege that Serhii Kei hired a yacht in 2022 which he and his accomplices sailed to a spot close to the Danish island of Bornholm. There the group dived to the seabed more than 80 meters down and placed four explosive devices on or near the pipelines. They then surfaced, sailed away, and waited for the bombs to go off. The resulting damage was enough to stop all remaining gas supply from Russia to Western Europe. The prosecution here says Serhii K was acting on behalf of a foreign country, and the alleged offences constitute a war crime. The targeted gas pipelines were not legitimate military targets, but rather civilian objects, given that they served the exclusively civilian supply of Germany and Western Europe with gas. The Ukrainian government has always denied any knowledge of or involvement in the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines. Serhii Kay has denied the charges and exercised his right to remain silent. His lawyers say this is because Ukrainian law forbids members of the special forces from revealing state secrets. One told Al Jazeera the prosecution's evidence against their client was weak. They made really a thorough investigation. They heard witnesses, analysed footage from cameras, from borders, from heavens, from wherever. Forensics were made thoroughly on the boat. Nothing was found, no DNA, no fingerprints, nothing at all. Is this strong evidence? I think strong evidence looks very different. This case has been a diplomatic dilemma for successive German governments. On the one hand, their desire to see whoever blew up those pipelines brought to justice. On the other, their desire not to weaken or damage their support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. The trial is due to last several months. Dominic Kane, Al Jazeera, Hamburg.