Ukrainian Nord Stream sabotage suspect refuses extradition to Germany
Visible signs of explosions at the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, September 2022 (Photo: Danish Defence Command/Handout via REUTERS)
A Ukrainian man arrested on suspicion of coordinating the 2022 sabotage of Nord Stream natural gas pipelines refused extradition to Germany at a court hearing in Bologna on Aug. 22, Italian newspaper Corriere di Bologna reported.
He was detained on Aug. 21 night under a European arrest warrant issued by Germany’s Federal Court at a hotel complex in San Clemente, Rimini province. Italian authorities accuse him of orchestrating the Baltic Sea pipeline explosions in September 2022.
During the hearing, the suspect requested a Ukrainian interpreter and asked to review the case documents in his native language. He told the court he was in Ukraine when the blasts occurred and came to Italy for personal reasons.
The court ordered him to remain in custody and set the next hearing for Sept. 3, when judges will consider his extradition to Germany.
The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, named the suspect as Serhiy K., a retired Ukrainian army captain who previously worked for the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and served in an elite unit that defended Kyiv in 2022.
German magazine Der Spiegel reported that Serhiy K. was aboard the yacht Andromeda during the sabotage. Investigators at Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office believe he was not one of the divers who placed explosives but likely acted as a coordinator.
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