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Former Ukrainian officer Serhii Kuznietsov faces expenses in Germany of collusion to trigger an explosion, sabotage and destruction of infrastructure.
Revealed On 20 Nov 2025
Italy’s high courtroom has authorised the extradition to Germany of a Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the sabotage of the Nord Stream gasoline pipelines between Russia and Europe in 2022.
The suspect, Serhii Kuznietsov, 49, has denied being a part of a cell of saboteurs accused of inserting explosives on the underwater pipelines within the Baltic Sea, severing a lot of Russia’s gasoline transfers to Europe and prompting provide shortages on the continent.
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After Italy initially blocked Kuznietsov’s extradition final month over a problem with a German arrest warrant, Italy’s Supreme Courtroom of Cassation authorised the switch on Wednesday.
Kuznietsov “will due to this fact be surrendered to Germany throughout the subsequent few days”, his lawyer Nicola Canestrini stated.
The suspect, a former officer within the Ukrainian army, has denied any position within the assault and has fought makes an attempt to switch him to Germany since he was detained on a European arrest warrant within the Italian city of Rimini, the place he was vacationing along with his household, in August.
“Nevertheless nice the frustration, I stay assured in an acquittal after the total trial in Germany,” Canestrini stated in an announcement.
Final month, a courtroom in Poland dominated towards handing over one other Ukrainian suspect needed by Germany in reference to the pipeline explosions and ordered his fast launch from detention.
Kuznietsov faces expenses in Germany of collusion to trigger an explosion, sabotage and destruction of necessary buildings.
German prosecutors stated he used cast identification paperwork to constitution a yacht that departed from the German metropolis of Rostock to hold out the assault close to the Danish island of Bornholm on September 26, 2022.
In accordance with extradition paperwork, prosecutors stated Kuznietsov organised and carried out the detonation of not less than 4 bombs containing 14kg to 27kg (31lb to 62lb) of explosives at a depth of 70 to 80 metres (230ft to 263ft).
The explosions broken each the Nord Stream 1 and the Nord Stream 2 pipelines so severely that no gasoline could possibly be transported via them. In complete, 4 ruptures have been found within the pipelines after the assault.
Kuznietsov says he was a member of the Ukrainian armed forces and in Ukraine on the time of the incident, a declare his defence group has stated would give him “practical immunity” below worldwide regulation.
Earlier this month, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) despatched a letter to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressing concern about Kuznietsov’s extradition.
“The destruction of the pipelines dealt a major blow to Russia’s conflict machine in its ongoing conflict of aggression towards Ukraine,” the MEPs wrote.
“From the standpoint of worldwide regulation, actions undertaken in defence towards such aggression, together with the neutralisation of the enemy’s army infrastructure, fall throughout the lawful conduct of a simply conflict,” they wrote.
“We, due to this fact, urge the Italian authorities to droop any steps towards extradition till the ensures of practical immunity and state duty are completely and independently assessed,” they added.
Kuznietsov, who faces as much as 15 years in jail if discovered responsible by a German courtroom, has been held in a excessive safety jail in Italy since his arrest and at one level staged a starvation strike to protest towards his jail circumstances.
Six different suspects within the case stay at giant.
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