For three years, a team of elite German investigators at the Federal Police headquarters in potsdam, near Berlin, focused on investigating the Nord Stream sabotage - considered the largest sabotage in modern history.
Poland has refused to extradite Volodymyr Z - a suspect in the Nord Stream case - to Germany for trial. Another extradition case involving a Ukrainian suspect in Italy is expected to be resolved in the next few weeks.
According to investigators, the commander of the Nord Stream sabotage group Serhii K was spotted in Italy after a long search. Initially, investigators only had a passport photo of the man, taken from a Ukrainian passport he used during the Nord Stream sabotage.
According to the police, it was a real passport but had a fake name. The man does not have a social media account and does not appear in any European or allies database.
In a meeting at 9:30 a.m., the investigation team suddenly had a breakthrough when one person asked: "Where do Ukrainians usually go on vacation?". The suspect may be outside the European Union. They decided to send the survey information to partner countries.
Shortly after, the border police of a friendly country reported: They have found matching results. That man came to their country during a business trip. Investigators quickly obtained a copy of his real name and date of birth. The suspect was identified as Serhii K, 46, a former officer of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
German police then activated a silent warning attached to suspect Serhii Ks passport, which would automatically notify him if he crossed any EU border.
On August 13, the signal system: Serhii K just went from Ukraine to Poland. Since then, investigators have tracked him through the Czech Republic and then to Italy thanks to road toll collection data and hotel bookings made by his wife on an online travel website.
The Italian Carabinieri police arrested Serhii K shortly after he entered the room at a bungalow resort in the ancient town of San Clement.
After the suspect was arrested, German investigators were happy to believe that the investigation was nearing an end and would be tried in German court.
In December, the Italian court is expected to decide whether to extradite Serhii K to Germany or not. German police have prepared private jets to take the suspect from Italy to Hamburg for trial.
However, this could be a double-edged sword. Any trial related to the incident will almost certainly strain relations between Ukraine and Germany, while Germany is currently the largest supporter to Kiev, providing many important military equipment, especially air defense systems.
