Berlin: A judge at Germany’s Federal Court of Justice on Friday ordered a Ukrainian national to be held in custody over his alleged involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
The suspect, identified as Serhii Kuznietsov, was extradited from Italy on Thursday.
According to a warrant issued by the Federal Court of Justice, Serhii K. allegedly worked as a coordinator of a group that placed explosive devices on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in September 2022 and damaged the gas lines linking Russia and Germany, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Ukrainian was arrested in Rimini, Italy, in August. The suspect faces charges including jointly causing explosions and anti-constitutional sabotage.
The timeline for further legal proceedings, including a potential trial, remains unclear.
Another suspect, Volodymyr Z., was arrested in Poland, but a Polish court blocked his extradition to Germany and ordered his immediate release.
Last month, an Italian appeals court in Bologna ruled to extradite Serhii Kuznietsov, a former Ukrainian serviceman suspected of involvement in the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions to Germany.
Kuznietsov, 49, was arrested on August 21 in Italy’s Rimini province. He is believed to be one of the main masterminds behind the 2022 explosions that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines.
Reports cited that the Bologna Court of Appeal approved the extradition in September, but the defence filed an appeal with Italy’s Supreme Court, citing procedural flaws. The Supreme Court subsequently suspended the extradition process and sent the case back to Bologna for retrial.
After a new hearing, the Bologna court reaffirmed its earlier decision, approving the handover of the suspect to German authorities.
On September 26, 2022, the Nord Stream pipelines transporting natural gas from Russia to Europe were ruptured in a series of explosions underneath the Baltic Sea near Sweden and Denmark. Sweden, Denmark, and Germany called the incident a deliberate act of sabotage
(IANS)
