Kuznetsov, suspected of blowing up Nord Stream pipelines, served in Special Operations Forces, - media

Serhii Kuznetsov, a Ukrainian national suspected of involvement in the explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines, served in the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

This was reported to LIGA.net by the office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, according to Censor.NET.

The Ministry of Defense responded to a request from Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, stating that the Ukrainian served in military unit A0987 from August 10, 2022, to November 28, 2023, with the rank of captain. Based on information from open sources, this refers specifically to the Special Operations Forces Command, which is based in Kyiv.

At the end of November 2023, Kuznetsov was discharged from military service by order of the commander of the military unit responsible for personnel matters and sent for military registration to the Obolonskyi District Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support in Kyiv.

The interlocutor also said that earlier the Ministry of Defense had not provided this information in response to requests from Kuznetsov's lawyer and his family. The Ukrainian's relatives allegedly also repeatedly appealed to the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi to confirm the Ukrainian's status as a prisoner of war. However, as the interlocutor noted, no official response was received.

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 Appeal ruled on the extradition of 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.
The Bologna Court of Appeals upheld the decision to extradite to Germany Ukrainian citizen Serhii Kuznetsov, who is suspected of involvement in the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022.
Later, the Italian Constitutional Court allowed the extradition of Ukrainian citizen Serhii Kuznetsov to Germany.
On 27 November, Italy extradited Ukrainian citizen Serhii Kuznetsov to Germany.