An court has approved the extradition of a Ukrainian man suspected of taking part in the 2022 explosions that damaged the in the Baltic Sea, his lawyer confirmed Monday.
The explosions destroyed three of the four , which had become a contentious symbol of Germany’s dependence on Russian energy after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
What does the Nord Stream extradition mean?
The decision clears the way for prosecutors to question the suspect directly in connection with the sabotage, which severed a key link for Russian gas supplies to Europe.
The man, identified only as Serhii K. under German privacy laws, was arrested in August. His lawyer was cited by the Reuters news agency as saying he will appeal the decision.
Serhii K. is considered one of the suspected masterminds behind the attacks on the gas pipelines from Russia in September 2022. The German Federal Prosecutor accuses him of jointly causing an explosion involving explosives at what was once a German-Russian prestige project, and of anti-constitutional sabotage.
K. was arrested in the summer on a European arrest warrant near the Italian town of Rimini on Italy’s Adriatic coast, where he was on vacation with his wife and children. Since his arrest, the Ukrainian has been held in a high-security prison in northern Italy.
Originally, the court in Bologna had already given the green light for extradition in September. However, the Ukrainian’s lawyer brought the case before Italy’s highest court. In mid-October, the Court of Cassation unexpectedly halted the extradition due to procedural errors and sent the case back to Bologna.
What was the effect of the Nord Stream attack?
The caused a worldwide sensation three years ago. Half a year after the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, several explosions damaged the two pipelines that were already operating so severely that no gas could flow through them anymore.
One of the two newer pipelines was also badly damaged, although it had not yet been put into service after Germany suspended their certification just days before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Earlier this month, a Polish court accused of involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline blasts and ordered his release.
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