Accused Coordinator of Nord Stream Pipeline Attack Extradited to Germany

 

Germany’s Federal Prosecutor confirmed on Friday, November 28, that it has completed the extradition and arrest of one of the accused coordinators of the 2022 attack on the Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 1 and 2. Serhii Kuznietsov, age 49 and a former Ukrainian military officer, was transferred to German custody on November 27, and the Federal Court of Justice officially issued the arrest warrant today.

Kuznietsov, who was arrested in Italy in August, has repeatedly denied involvement in the sabotage of the pipeline. An Italian court had agreed to the extradition to Germany, but the ruling was appealed to a higher court. Italy’s top court approved the extradition on November 20, weeks after Kuznietsov had gone on a brief hunger strike while in Italian jails. He claimed he was being treated poorly and held alongside Islamic terrorists.

German prosecutors detailed their charges in August, reporting that Kuznietsov, along with others, was accused of jointly causing an explosion as well as unconstitutional sabotage, and destruction of buildings. 

They assert that Kuznietsov was one of the coordinators of the attack, working with a group of co-conspirators to plant explosives near the island of Bornholm in the North Sea. The explosives were placed in September 2022, targeting the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. Russia has long asserted that it was a case of sabotage by the West and possibly Ukraine.

According to the filing made by the German prosecutor, Kuznietsov and his accomplices used a sailing yacht departing from Rostock, Germany, to transport the devices into the North Sea. They allege that the yacht had been previously rented from a German company through intermediaries using forged identification documents. 

As many as six other accomplices are still at large. Germany lost a similar extradition claim last month in Poland for another Ukrainian, who they also allege was part of the conspiracy. A Polish judge ruled it was an act of war and not subject to criminal prosecution. The suspect, Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, was released by the Polish authorities. 

German officials report the accused will be brought before the investigating judge of the Federal Court of Justice now that he has been extradited from Italy.