Nord Stream sabotage: Italy refuses to extradite to Germany the one considered the "brain" of the attack

Italy has decided to suspend the extradition to Germany of Serghii K., a 49-year-old Ukrainian, considered the 'mastermind' of the 2022 attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

The Italian Supreme Court annulled a previous ruling by a lower court and sent the case to another court for a new evaluation. The Federal Prosecutor's Office in Germany accuses Serghii K. of conspiracy and sabotage, and his lawyer argued that the client's rights were violated during the judicial proceedings.

Serghii K. was arrested on the Italian coast during a vacation and is currently in a maximum-security prison. The attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines occurred in the context of tensions generated by the war in Ukraine, and German investigators suspect that Serghii K. coordinated a team of suspects who used a yacht to carry out the attacks.