❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Ukrainian man suspected of involvement in the Nord Stream pipeline attacks was arrested in Italy following a European warrant issued by German prosecutors.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Serhii K., a 49-year-old former member of Ukraine’s Secret Service and special forces, along with German and Italian authorities.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Arrested on Thursday in San Clemente, Italy, following the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage in the Baltic Sea.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I was in Ukraine during the Nord Stream sabotage,” Serhii reportedly told the appeal court while denying the charges.
🎯IMPACT: The arrest raises questions about Ukraine’s potential involvement in the pipeline attacks, which escalated Europe’s energy crisis.
Serhii K., a 49-year-old Ukrainian man, was arrested in northern Italy on Thursday after German prosecutors issued a European arrest warrant, suspecting his involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline attacks. He previously served in Ukraine’s Secret Service and special forces, though it remains unclear if he was still active during the sabotage.
Serhii was found at a hotel in San Clemente, Rimini, where he was on holiday with his family. Italian authorities apprehended him without resistance. He had entered Italy earlier in the week with a Ukrainian license-plated car and used his real identity, triggering an alert on police systems.
After his arrest, Serhii was detained in Rimini before being transferred to a prison in Bologna. He denied the charges, claiming he was in Ukraine during the Nord Stream sabotage and stressing that his visit to Italy was for family reasons. He also opposed extradition to Germany, where he faces charges of collusion to cause explosions, anti-constitutional sabotage, and destruction of infrastructure.
German prosecutors allege that Serhii was part of a group that planted explosives on the pipelines near Denmark’s Bornholm island. The attack, which severely damaged the Nord Stream pipelines, worsened Europe’s energy crisis. U.S. intelligence previously suggested a pro-Ukraine group was behind the sabotage, though no group has claimed responsibility.
A decision on Serhii’s extradition is expected at a hearing on September 3, and he will remain in custody until then. Italy’s anti-terrorism prosecutors are also investigating a possible link between the Nord Stream attacks and the sinking of a Russian oil tanker off Savona in February.
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