An appeals court in Bologna has again approved the extradition to Germany of Serhii K., a 49-year-old Ukrainian and former soldier suspected in the 2022 attack on the Nord Stream gas pipeline, according to the court decision described in the case.
The man was detained in August near Rimini on a European Arrest Warrant while on vacation with his family.
He denies any role in the sabotage and says he was in Ukraine at the time.
Earlier rulings by Italian courts cleared his handover to Germany to face charges of damaging the pipeline, but Italy’s Supreme Court (Court of Cassation) annulled the previous approval and sent the case back. The Bologna court has now reaffirmed extradition.
Defense lawyer Nicola Canestrini said he will challenge the latest ruling before the Supreme Court, alleging “serious procedural violations” that undermine due process. He argued Italian judges failed to verify procedural safeguards and detention conditions in Germany and ignored issues of “functional immunity.”
Canestrini pointed to an Oct. 17 decision by the Warsaw Regional Court refusing to surrender another Ukrainian suspect, Volodymyr Zhuravlov, and ordering his release, as evidence mutual trust among EU states is in question.
The defense also said the alleged acts carry a “political and military” character linked to an international armed conflict, putting them outside the scope of the European Arrest Warrant. Canestrini added that his client has been denied access to German case files despite repeated requests.
German media have reported that Serhii K. acted as an organizer, while prosecutors contend a team used a yacht that departed Rostock, rented with false IDs and intermediaries.
Investigators say divers attached at least four explosive charges to the Nord Stream lines before the group was collected by a driver and taken to Ukraine.
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Source: PAP