Italian court okays extradition of Ukrainian national Kuznetsov to Germany in Nord Stream case - media

A court in Bologna, Italy, has approved the extradition of Ukrainian citizen Serhiy Kuznetsov, suspected of involvement in the disruption of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, but his lawyer intends to appeal, the German newspaper Tagesschau reported on Monday, without naming the Ukrainian.

"According to the defendant's lawyer, the case may also be retried. Following the Bologna court's decision, lawyer Nicola Canestrini announced he would appeal to the Court of Cassation in Rome. The latter had previously returned the case to the Bologna court," the message reads.

As reported, Serhiy Kuznetsov was arrested on August 21, based on a European arrest warrant issued by the German Federal Court, at a country hotel in San Clemente near the Italian city of Rimini after registering there. He has since been held in the resort town of Riccione. On September 16, an Italian court ordered Kuznetsov's extradition to Germany. His lawyer filed an appeal. During the court hearing, the Ukrainian stated that he was in Ukraine on the day of the gas pipeline explosion. On October 16, the Italian Court of Cassation overturned the Court of Appeal's extradition decision.

The twin-pipe Nord Stream 1 pipeline, running through the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, with a total capacity of over 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year, was commissioned in 2011-2012. The parallel Nord Stream 2 was intended to transport a similar volume of gas; however, despite its completion, it never entered service due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. In September 2022, an explosion depressurized two lines of Nord Stream 1 and one of Nord Stream 2 near the Danish island of Bornholm. Russia has opened a criminal case under the article on international terrorism. Germany is also continuing its investigation into the explosions, while Sweden closed its investigation in February 2024.