Italian court docket orders extradition of Ukrainian in Nord Stream case

A Ukrainian arrested in Italy final month over the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream fuel pipelines from Russia to Europe should be extradited to Germany, a court docket in Bologna dominated Tuesday (September 16, 2025).

Serhii Kuznietsov, a member of the Ukrainian armed forces on the time, has denied being a part of a cell which positioned explosives on the underwater pipeline and can enchantment in opposition to the extradition ruling at Italy’s highest court docket, his lawyer Nicola Canestrini informed AFP.

The pipelines that for years shipped Russian fuel to Europe have been broken by enormous explosions in September 2022, a number of months after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

Western powers have been initially fast accountable Russia, which in flip accused them.

Mr. Kuznietsov says he was in Ukraine on the time of the explosions and can “appeal… the Bologna court of appeal’s decision to order his surrender to Germany”, Canestrini stated.

German investigations pointed to a Ukrainian cell of 5 males and one girl because the perpetrators of the pipeline blasts.

German prosecutors stated Kuznietsov had used cast id paperwork to constitution a yacht, which departed from the German metropolis of Rostock to hold out the assaults.

In an announcement, Canestrini insisted the “military nature of the alleged acts entails functional immunity” underneath worldwide legislation. Mr. Kuznietsov’s standing as “a member of the Ukraine armed forces at the relevant time… (also) cannot be disregarded”, he added.

In asserting the choice to enchantment, Canestrini alleged “serious violations of our client’s fundamental rights” by the Bologna court docket.

“Kuznietsov was not allowed to personally attend his own hearings and was denied full access to the German case file, in clear breach of the right to a fair trial,” he stated.

Moreover, “the interpretation provided during the hearings was wholly inadequate, severely impairing the effectiveness of the defence”, he stated.

“Fundamental rights — fair trial, detention conditions, functional immunity — cannot be sacrificed in the name of automatic judicial cooperation,” he added.

Nord Stream had lengthy been contentious for enabling Russian fuel to bypass japanese European transit routes and leaving Germany overly reliant on low cost vitality from Moscow.