An Italian appeals court in Bologna has approved the extradition to Germany of Serhii Kuznietsov, a 49-year-old Ukrainian national suspected of coordinating the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, according to Italian media reports. Kuznietsov, a former officer in Ukraine's armed forces, was arrested on August 21 near Rimini on Italy's Adriatic coast pursuant to a European arrest warrant issued by German federal prosecutors. The decision advances Berlin's investigation into the undersea explosions that severely damaged the Russia-Germany energy infrastructure, exacerbating Europe's energy crisis amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, designed to transport Russian natural gas under the Baltic Sea to Germany and onward to Europe, were crippled by four explosions on September 26, 2022, near Denmark's Bornholm island. The blasts, detected at depths of 70-80 meters, involved at least 14-27 kilograms of hexogen (RDX) and octogen (HMX) explosives each, rendering three of the four lines inoperable and releasing massive methane plumes. Occurring seven months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the sabotage fueled geopolitical tensions as Western nations accelerated efforts to divest from Russian energy supplies. German investigators have linked the attack to a pro-Ukrainian group that chartered the yacht Andromeda from Rostock, Germany, where traces of the same explosives were later found. Ukraine has consistently denied any involvement.

Kuznietsov, accused of leading a team including a skipper, four divers, and an explosives expert, faces charges of conspiracy to incite explosions, sabotage, and destruction of property. He has rejected the allegations, claiming he was in Ukraine during the incident and asserting functional immunity as a military operative under international law. His lawyer, Nicola Canestrini, criticized the September 9 hearing for denying Kuznietsov attendance and withholding full German case documents, vowing an appeal to Italy's Supreme Court of Cassation. Canestrini did not respond to requests for further comment.

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The extradition ruling follows a prior German warrant for another Ukrainian suspect, diver Volodymyr Z., who evaded arrest in Poland. While Sweden and Denmark closed their probes due to jurisdictional limits, Germany's inquiry persists, with Kuznietsov slated to appear before a federal judge upon transfer. The case underscores unresolved questions about the sabotage's perpetrators, with U.S. intelligence previously pointing to a non-state pro-Ukrainian actor.

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