Italian Court Allows Extradition of Ukrainian Suspected of Blowing Up Nord Stream Pipelines

An Italian court has allowed the extradition of a Ukrainian suspected of blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines.

A court in Bologna has ruled to transfer Ukrainian Serhii Kuznetsov, who is suspected of blowing up the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in 2022, to Germany. This was reported by Kuznetsov’s lawyer Nicola Canestrini, according to ANSA.it.

In his article in The Wall Street Journal, journalist Bojan Pancevski quoted lawyer Nicola Canestrini, who has already stated that he will appeal the decision to Italy’s highest court.

The defense attorney emphasized that evidence previously deemed invalid by the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation was used during the trial.

He also stated that the principle of mutual trust between EU member states had been violated and that there had been no verification of human rights guarantees in the country that submitted the request.

“This is not just about the fate of one person, but about trust in the entire European system of judicial cooperation,” Canestrini said.

While the appeal is being considered, Kuznetsov will remain in custody in Italy. The hearing in the Court of Cassation is expected to take place within a month.

Meanwhile, the Warsaw District Court has refused Germany’s request to extradite another Ukrainian, Volodymyr Zhuravliov, who is also involved in the Nord Stream bombing case.

As a reminder, the explosions on the gas pipelines occurred on September 26, 2022. As a result of the sabotage, three of the four pipeline lines were damaged. Investigations in Sweden and Denmark ended without charges being brought, while Germany continued its own investigation.