On November 19, a court hearing in Italy concluded in the extradition case of Ukrainian Serhiy Kuznetsov. He is in an Italian prison on a German warrant on suspicion of the “Nord Stream” pipeline blowing up.
Kuznetsovʼs lawyer Nicola Canestrini told Babel about this.
According to him, the hearing lasted a little over an hour. The Italian prosecutorʼs office was quite laconic and insisted on Kuznetsovʼs extradition.
At the same time, the defense emphasized that Kuznetsov is covered by functional immunity, as well as that resisting an aggressor during war is not a crime.
"If we win, the court will have to send the case back to the court in Bologna for retrial, because there were procedural errors there again," Canestrini said.
He also said that the Ukrainian consul had filed a petition with the court to participate in the hearing. However, the judge did not even allow him to be present at the hearing.
The court will announce the final decision either on the evening of November 19 or the next day.
Ukrainian Serhiy Kuznetsov has been in a high-security prison in Italy since August on suspicion of involvement in the “Nord Stream” sabotage. To protect his right to food, Kuznetsov went on a hunger strike from October 31 to November 11, losing 9 kilograms during that time.
Last week, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets acknowledged for the first time that Serhiy Kuznetsov served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Therefore, he is covered by the protections provided for by international humanitarian law, in particular the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
“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 strands of the gas pipeline remained intact.
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.
On August 26, 2025, German investigators issued arrest warrants for six Ukrainians suspected of involvement in the bombing. Ukrainian Serhiy Kuznetsov, who was detained in Italy and suspected of involvement in the sabotage, denies the charges. An Italian court allowed his extradition to Germany.
On October 27, a court in Bologna ordered the extradition of Serhiy Kuznetsov to Germany. The defense appealed to the Italian Supreme Court.
In October 2025, a Polish court refused to extradite another detainee in the case — Volodymyr Zhuravlyov — to Germany. The court ruled that Germany had provided insufficient evidence and that the act he is accused of “was committed in the context of the criminal and genocidal war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine since 2014”. The Polish prosecutor’s office decided not to appeal the decision.
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