The Supreme Court of Italy has upheld the decision to extradite Ukrainian veteran Serhiy Kuznetsov to Germany, where he is accused of the “Nord Stream” pipeline blowing up.
This was reported to Babel by Kuznetsovʼs lawyer Nicola Canestrini.
According to the lawyer, the Italian police will hand over Kuznetsov to German law enforcement in the coming days. The procedure should be completed within ten days.
"Despite great disappointment, I remain confident of an acquittal after a full trial in Germany. Justice is a winding path, the result of constant work, not a miracle that happens by itself," Canestrini stated.
The defense emphasizes that despite the courtʼs decision, the lawyers plan to continue to seek the suspectʼs full acquittal.
“Nord Stream” sabotage
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 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 Sergei 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 alleged act “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.
On October 27, a court in Bologna ordered the extradition of Serhiy Kuznetsov to Germany. The defense appealed to the Italian Supreme Court.
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