In a significant development for a case that shook European energy security, Italy's highest court has given the green light for a Ukrainian suspect to be sent to Germany over the Nord Stream pipeline explosions.
Final Appeal Rejected
Italy's Cassation Court on Wednesday rejected a final defence appeal, thereby approving the extradition of 49-year-old Serhii Kuznietsov to German authorities. His defence lawyer, Nicola Canestrini, confirmed that his client will be handed over within the next few days.
Mr Canestrini expressed firm confidence that his client would be acquitted at trial, maintaining Kuznietsov's innocence in the sabotage that damaged critical energy infrastructure.
The Nord Stream Attack
The incident in question occurred on September 26, 2022, when explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which had been carrying Russian natural gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea until Russia cut off supplies in late August 2022.
The blasts also damaged the parallel Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which had never entered service after Germany suspended its certification process shortly before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
German Allegations and the Arrest
According to extradition documents, German prosecutors allege that Kuznietsov organised and carried out the detonation of at least four bombs, weighing between 14 and 27 kilograms, at a depth of 70 to 80 metres in the Baltic Sea near the Danish island of Bornholm.
Kuznietsov was detained on a European arrest warrant on August 21 at a campground near the Adriatic coastal city of Rimini, where he was on holiday with his family.
The suspect has consistently denied any involvement, stating he was in Ukraine serving as an army captain at the time of the explosions.
In a related note, the report states that Poland has blocked the extradition to Germany of another suspect in the same case, indicating a complex international legal landscape surrounding the investigation.
