The Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in 2022 arrived in Germany on November 27, after the Italian Supreme Court approved an extradition order last week, the German prosecutor's information said.
The Nord Stream suspect who was just extradited from Italy to Germany was identified as Serhii K under German privacy laws. The suspect has denied any involvement in the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 sabotages. Nicola Canestrini, a lawyer for suspect Serhii K, believes his client will be cleared of the case in a trial in Germany.
German prosecutors accused Serhii K of being among the suspects who planted explosives in a gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea, near the Danish island of Bornholm.
Suspect Serhii K was arrested under a European wanted notice in Rimini, Italy in August and has opposed being extradited to Germany. Serhii K faces charges of collusion in explosions, unconstitutional sabotage and sabotage of important structures.
The defendant was transferred from Italy to Germany today (November 27). According to the schedule, tomorrow (November 28), the defendant will appear before the investigation judge at the Federal Court in Karlsruhe" - said the German prosecutor.
The Nord Stream explosion damaged three of the four branches of the gas pipeline connecting Russia and Germany across the Baltic Sea three years ago. The sabotage has almost cut off the flow of Russian gas to Europe, further straining energy supplies in Europe despite Russia having previously significantly reduced gas transit to Europe.
Both Russia and the West have declared it an act of sabotage. Investigation teams spent years linking the clues to identify the culprit behind the incident.
Last month, a Polish court rejected the extradition request for Volodymyr Z - another suspect in the Nord Stream case who was also wanted by Germany - and ordered the immediate release of the Ukrainian man.
