The Nord Stream suspect arrested in Italy has been identified by Italian prosecutors as Serhii K, 49. However, the media identified the suspect as Sehrii Kuznetsov.
The suspect arrested on August 21 was accused of being a member of a group of Ukrainians who planted explosives in the Russian-Germany gas pipeline near the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022.
The suspect faces charges of collusion in causing the explosion, committing acts of sabotage and destroying important works.
This is the first arrest in the Nord Stream investigation.
Images of the August 22 trial show the suspect being held in a corner when being escorted from Rimini to the Bologna court in Italy.
AFP reported that through a Ukrainian interpreter, the man stated in a Bologna court that he refused Germany's extradition request.
The suspect stressed that he was in Ukraine at the time of the Nord Stream explosion.
The next trial is scheduled for September 3, and the Nord Stream suspect will be held until then.
The suspect stated in court that he was a former soldier.
Serhii K was arrested early on the morning of August 21 at a wooden house in Rimini province, Italy while on vacation with his family. The suspect was arrested under a European arrest warrant.
The German investigation into the Nord Stream case found that a group of Ukrainians, including five men and one woman, were responsible for the explosion of the gas pipeline connecting Russia and Germany.
The group members are believed to have hired a yacht to carry out the European shocking attack.
German prosecutors revealed that Serhii K used fake identification documents to rent a yacht. The cruise ship departed from the German city of Rostock to carry out attacks in the Baltic Sea.
When the Nord Stream explosion occurred, Western powers quickly accused Russia of doing so. Meanwhile, Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out the attack.
Last year, German prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian man named Volodymyr Z - a diving coach whose last known address was in Poland.
Volodymyr Z is suspected of being one of the divers who planted explosives in the Nord Stream pipeline.
The case affected Germany-Ukraine relations as Berlin strongly supported Kiev in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his government is not aware of any plans to blow up gas pipelines connecting Russia and Germany in the Baltic Sea.
