Germany Nord Stream: Italy allows extradition of Ukrainians
Italy's highest court has given the green light for the extradition of the alleged mastermind of the attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. The Court of Cassation in Rome ruled that the Ukrainian may be handed over to the German authorities. This was announced by the accused's lawyer in the evening. The attacks on the former German-Russian prestige project made headlines around the world three years ago.
19.11.2025, 20:27
SDA
The 49-year-old Serhij K. will probably be handed over to the German police in the next few days and then flown to Germany. He will probably stand trial in Hamburg. According to the investigation, he is alleged to have coordinated the attacks on the two pipelines in September 2022. The federal prosecutor's office is accusing him of jointly causing an explosive device to explode and anti-constitutional sabotage.
He was arrested in the summer during a family vacation on the Adriatic. K. denies the allegations to this day. In the meantime, he has been on hunger strike due to alleged poor treatment. The Court of Cassation will only justify its decision in writing at a later date. The Ukrainian's Italian lawyer, Nicola Canestrini, said of the extradition: "As great as the disappointment is: I trust in an acquittal in Germany."
Weeks of back and forth
Before the Court of Cassation's decision, there had been weeks of legal back and forth. The supreme court had stopped an initial extradition permit due to procedural errors on the Italian side. This time, however, it confirmed the decision. It is conceivable that the case could end up before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. However, K.'s lawyer Nicola Canestrini told dpa that he would "probably not" take this route.
The Ukrainian was arrested in August on the basis of a European arrest warrant while on vacation with his wife and children in the hinterland of the famous seaside resort of Rimini. Apparently, he did not expect that his stay in Italy could be his undoing. He is said to have traveled to other European countries several times beforehand. Since his arrest, he has been held in a high-security prison.
Poland does not allow extradition of another suspect
The attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm caused a worldwide stir. Six months after the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, several explosions damaged the two pipelines to such an extent that gas could no longer be transported through them. Russian natural gas had previously flowed through Nord Stream 1 to Germany. Nord Stream 2 was not yet in operation.
German investigators believe that K. led a team of seven suspects, including four divers. For the attacks, they are said to have rented a sailing yacht called "Andromeda" in Germany, which they then took out into the Baltic Sea. Another suspect, also a Ukrainian, was also temporarily detained in Poland. The judiciary there refused to extradite him to Germany. The man has since been released.
