A Ukrainian former military officer is on the 10th day of a hunger strike in an Italian prison, where he has accused the authorities of mistreating him to make him confess to blowing up Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea in 2022.
Serhiy Kuznetsov was detained in Italy in August on an arrest warrant from Germany. In a letter shown to the BBC by his lawyer, Mr. Kuznetsov says he is being treated as 'criminal no.1,' held in a high-security facility alongside suspected members of so-called Islamic State (IS or Isis). The BBC has contacted the prison, but it has not yet commented.
No one has admitted to carrying out the attack on the pipelines that transport Russian gas to Germany.
In his first public comment since his arrest, Mr. Kuznetsov writes - by hand - that 'the Italians have been cynically ignoring my dietary habits for the past two months,' referring to his vegetarian diet. 'They think that these restrictions can affect my position and make me confess my guilt. But such efforts are futile.'
A relative of Mr. Kuznetsov's mentioned they had tried to deliver special food to the prison, but it had been refused, raising concerns about his health as he appeared exhausted.
The Nord Stream pipelines were destroyed beneath the Baltic Sea at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, leading to various speculations about Russian involvement and attempts to blackmail Europe by limiting energy supplies. This summer, German prosecutors activated arrest warrants for two suspects believed to have carried out the attack: Kuznetsov and another Ukrainian citizen, Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, detained in Poland.
The charges listed by German prosecutors include 'anti-constitutional sabotage.' In Italy, a court in Bologna approved Kuznetsov's extradition, which he is currently appealing. His lawyer states that Kuznetsov has lost 9kg during the hunger strike but remains clear-minded, refusing solid food while challenging both the prison conditions and the extradition.
Serhiy Kuznetsov was detained in Italy in August on an arrest warrant from Germany. In a letter shown to the BBC by his lawyer, Mr. Kuznetsov says he is being treated as 'criminal no.1,' held in a high-security facility alongside suspected members of so-called Islamic State (IS or Isis). The BBC has contacted the prison, but it has not yet commented.
No one has admitted to carrying out the attack on the pipelines that transport Russian gas to Germany.
In his first public comment since his arrest, Mr. Kuznetsov writes - by hand - that 'the Italians have been cynically ignoring my dietary habits for the past two months,' referring to his vegetarian diet. 'They think that these restrictions can affect my position and make me confess my guilt. But such efforts are futile.'
A relative of Mr. Kuznetsov's mentioned they had tried to deliver special food to the prison, but it had been refused, raising concerns about his health as he appeared exhausted.
The Nord Stream pipelines were destroyed beneath the Baltic Sea at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, leading to various speculations about Russian involvement and attempts to blackmail Europe by limiting energy supplies. This summer, German prosecutors activated arrest warrants for two suspects believed to have carried out the attack: Kuznetsov and another Ukrainian citizen, Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, detained in Poland.
The charges listed by German prosecutors include 'anti-constitutional sabotage.' In Italy, a court in Bologna approved Kuznetsov's extradition, which he is currently appealing. His lawyer states that Kuznetsov has lost 9kg during the hunger strike but remains clear-minded, refusing solid food while challenging both the prison conditions and the extradition.
