Ukrainian Serhii Kuznetsov, who was detained on suspicion of involvement in two explosions at the “Nord Stream” gas pipelines, has denied the charges.
This is reported by the Italian agency ANSA.
The hearing in the case was held at the Bologna Court of Appeal. The suspect, who was detained in Italy the day before, stated at the hearing that he was in Ukraine at the time of the pipeline explosion. During these words, he showed a trident with three fingers.
The judge eventually postponed the hearing because Kuznetsov demanded to be provided with an interpreter.
In addition, at the meeting, the prosecutor announced that she had granted the request of the German judicial authorities to extradite Kuznetsov. However, the Ukrainian himself stated that he did not consent to extradition.
“Nord Stream” explosions
On September 26, 2022, three explosions occurred on the “Nord Stream 1” and “Nord Stream 2” pipelines, which run along the bottom of the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, causing massive gas leaks.
Only one of the four gas pipeline strands remained intact. Western media reported that Russia was shutting down “Nord Stream” because it was not going to repair it after the accidents.
The US, UK and EU governments have declared a deliberate sabotage. Russia believes that the US and its allies are interested in the bombings. Western and Russian media have written about different versions — from sabotage by the Russians themselves to the involvement of Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied Ukraineʼs involvement in the sabotage.
In early February 2024, Sweden closed its investigation into the “Nord Stream” sabotage due to lack of jurisdiction. Following Sweden, Denmark also closed its investigation.
Germany is currently investigating the role of former Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi in the “Nord Stream” sabotage, as reported by the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal. Zelensky allegedly initially approved the plan, but later ordered it canceled, and Zaluzhnyi continued the operation despite this.
In November 2024, the German newspaper Der Spiegel published an investigation that stated that the saboteurs who sabotaged “Nord Stream” also planned to blow up “TurkStream” in the Black Sea, but they failed.
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