A Ukrainian arrested in Italy last month over the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines from Russia to Europe must be extradited to Germany, a court in Bologna ruled Tuesday (September 16, 2025).
Serhii Kuznietsov, a member of the Ukrainian armed forces at the time, has denied being part of a cell which placed explosives on the underwater pipeline and will appeal against the extradition ruling at Italy’s highest court, his lawyer Nicola Canestrini told AFP.
The pipelines that for years shipped Russian gas to Europe were damaged by huge explosions in September 2022, several months after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.
Western powers were initially quick to blame Russia, which in turn accused them.
Mr. Kuznietsov says he was in Ukraine at the time of the explosions and will “appeal… the Bologna court of appeal’s decision to order his surrender to Germany”, Canestrini said.
German investigations pointed to a Ukrainian cell of five men and one woman as the perpetrators of the pipeline blasts.
German prosecutors said Kuznietsov had used forged identity documents to charter a yacht, which departed from the German city of Rostock to carry out the attacks.
In a statement, Canestrini insisted the “military nature of the alleged acts entails functional immunity” under international law. Mr. Kuznietsov’s status as “a member of the Ukraine armed forces at the relevant time… (also) cannot be disregarded”, he added.
In announcing the decision to appeal, Canestrini alleged “serious violations of our client’s fundamental rights” by the Bologna court.
“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 said.
Moreover, “the interpretation provided during the hearings was wholly inadequate, severely impairing the effectiveness of the defence”, he said.
“Fundamental rights — fair trial, detention conditions, functional immunity — cannot be sacrificed in the name of automatic judicial cooperation,” he added.
Nord Stream had long been contentious for enabling Russian gas to bypass eastern European transit routes and leaving Germany overly reliant on cheap energy from Moscow.