Ukrainian Suspect in Nord Stream Explosion Extradited to Germany

Italy has extradited Ukrainian Serhii Kuznetsov to Germany, who is suspected of being involved in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions.

Ukraine’s ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets announced this.

On November 19, Italy’s Supreme Court ruled on the case of the 49-year-old Ukrainian, rejecting the defense’s appeal.

According to German media, the man was transported to Germany on November 27 by helicopter, accompanied by German officials.

A court is expected to decide on a preventive measure for Kuznetsov soon – likely an arrest. After that, he will face a trial.

The Ukrainian spent most of his pre-trial detention in a prison in northern Italy, where he was arrested in August.

While in custody, Kuznetsov repeatedly attempted to prevent his extradition, including by going on hunger strikes.

In Germany, the Ukrainian is suspected of being involved in the explosions of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in September 2022, which transported Russian gas to Europe.

As a result of the sabotage, three out of four pipeline strings were damaged. Investigations in Sweden and Denmark have concluded without charges, while Germany continues its own investigation.

German investigators believe that Kuznetsov was part of a group of individuals who planted explosive devices on the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea.

He has been charged with conspiracy to cause an explosion, unconstitutional sabotage, and destruction of important infrastructure. The Ukrainian denies any involvement.

“Today, we officially reached out to our colleague from the German human rights institution, requesting that special attention be paid to this case and to monitor the protection of Serhii Kuznetsov’s rights after his arrival in Germany,” wrote Dmytro Lubinets on his social media on November 27.