Italian court confirms extradition of Ukrainian to Germany in Nord Stream explosions case
The Bologna Court of Appeals upheld the decision to extradite Ukrainian citizen Serhii Kuznetsov to Germany, who is suspected of involvement in the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the dpa agency.
As noted, the preliminary court decision on extradition was made back in September, but it was temporarily suspended due to an appeal by the defense. The Supreme Court of Italy then returned the case to Bologna due to procedural violations.
The new ruling paves the way for German prosecutors to question Kuznetsov about the sabotage that disrupted Russian gas supplies to Europe.
The suspect's lawyer, Nicola Canestrini, said he would appeal the decision to the Court of Cassation in Rome.
The destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines
On September 26, 2022, three explosions occurred on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which run along the bottom of the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, causing massive gas leaks.
The governments of the US, the UK, and the EU have declared this to be a deliberate act of sabotage.
In early February 2024, Sweden closed its investigation into the Nord Stream pipeline explosion due to lack of jurisdiction.
Subsequently, Germany issued arrest warrants for all suspects in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022. All of them are citizens of Ukraine.
The Bologna Court of Appeals ruled to extradite Ukrainian citizen Serhii Kuznetsov to Germany.
On October 1, the Warsaw District Court decided to remand Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Zh. in custody for seven days. German authorities suspect him of involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022.
On October 6, the Warsaw Provincial Court extended by 40 days the arrest of Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Zh.
