Italy's top appeals court has ruled that a Ukrainian man suspected of involvement in blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany should be extradited to Berlin.
There, former Ukrainian military officer Serhiy Kuznetsov will face a charge of anti-constitutional sabotage. He is due to be removed from Italy under German police escort in the next few days.
Prosecutors believe Mr. Kuznetsov coordinated and led a group that planted explosives on the pipes deep beneath the Baltic Sea in 2022, though they have not disclosed any evidence.
The case has serious implications for relations between Ukraine and Germany, which is the biggest source of military aid for Kyiv in Europe.
Mr. Kuznetsov's lawyer stated that his client feels like a scapegoat and is very sad that his government has not spoken out in his defense or confirmed that he was a serving soldier at the time of the blasts.
If he carried out the attack, he did so because he was ordered to, as he was surely a captain of the Ukrainian army, his lawyer added.
The Ukrainian government knows exactly where he was every day of September 2022, his lawyer continued. So, if he's innocent, why don't they say it? If he did it, why don't they say it? That's his question.
Mr. Kuznetsov was arrested in northern Italy in late August at a glamping site near the city of Rimini with his family when officers arrived after receiving his passport details at check-in.
A month later, a second Ukrainian suspect was detained on a different arrest warrant issued by Germany. Volodymyr Zhuravlyov was held in custody for 17 days, but a court refused to extradite him, citing the defense of Ukraine against Russia's invasion.
In Italy, where the political mood differs, Mr. Kuznetsov's defense team plans to continue the fight for his acquittal on grounds linked to the broader conflict.
