Ukrainian Man Detained in Italy Over ‘Nord Stream’ Sabotage Denies Involvement and Refuses Extradition — New Details Emerge
In Italy, a high-profile case linked to the investigation of Ukrainian citizen Sergiy Kuznєtsov has garnered significant attention.
Accused of orchestrating the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea in 2022, Kuznєtsov has firmly denied all allegations and refused to consent to extradition to Germany, where charges are also pressed.
During an appeal hearing in Bologna, the 49-year-old man declared that he was in Ukraine at the time of the explosions, emphasizing this point with a trident gesture and requesting a translator, which temporarily paused the proceedings.
His defense attorney in Italy, politician Mykola Katerynchuk, reports that during the arrest, Kuznєtsov’s family experienced aggressive police behavior: his wife and children were detained together with him for over two hours, coerced into signing documents in Italian without a translator, and threatened with imprisonment.
Only after his wife started recording police actions on her phone were they released.
Italian authorities support the extradition request from Germany, where investigators believe Kuznєtsov played a role in planting explosives on the pipelines.
However, he insists he was in Ukraine at the time of the incident and refuses voluntary surrender.
The Bologna court has sentenced him to custody until a final decision on extradition, expected on September 3.
The 2022 explosions on Nord Stream 1 and 2 in the Baltic Sea—confirmed by the operator Nord Stream—are widely regarded as acts of sabotage, with Western countries labeling them as terrorist attacks.
Previously, The Wall Street Journal reported that Kuznєtsov, a former Ukrainian Armed Forces officer and ex-SBU agent, was allegedly involved in a covert operation that led a group of military and civilian divers to install explosives on the pipelines.
Experts believe the case is politically motivated, with Russia seeking to leverage it to discredit Ukraine internationally.
Ukrainian diplomats urge for increased efforts to defend their citizens’ rights and interests across Europe.