Italy’s top court has blocked the extradition to Germany of Sergey Kuznetsov, a Ukrainian national suspected of orchestrating the 2022 Nord Stream gas pipeline sabotage. The Court of Cassation ruled in favor of Kuznetsov, citing an “incorrect legal classification” in the European arrest warrant. The case is scheduled to be retried at a later date.
Kuznetsov, a former Ukrainian military officer, was detained in August while on holiday near Rimini. He denies any involvement in the explosions that disabled the twin pipelines, which were designed to transport Russian gas to Germany via the Baltic Sea.
In a related development, Poland’s National Security Bureau (BBN) opposed the extradition of another Ukrainian suspect, Vladimir Zhuravlyov, who was arrested in Warsaw in late September. The bureau stated that it is in “the vital interest of the Polish state” that the individuals allegedly responsible for the Nord Stream damage avoid being held accountable.
Russia has criticized Germany for its handling of the investigation, highlighting a lack of transparency and its exclusion from the probe. Sergey Naryshkin, head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, previously claimed that the United States and United Kingdom were behind the sabotage, though Washington, London, and Kyiv have all denied involvement. The case remains a focal point of international scrutiny as European courts and security agencies address the legal and geopolitical complexities of the Nord Stream incident.
