German court orders arrest of Ukrainian suspect in Nord Stream sabotage attack
Iran Press TV
Saturday, 29 November 2025 6:13 AM
A German judge has ordered the arrest of a Ukrainian suspect in the Nord Stream sabotage attack.
Germany's Federal Court of Justice judge on Friday ordered the Ukrainian national Serhii Kuznietsov, 49, who is accused of coordinating the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, to be held in custody over his alleged involvement.
The suspect, who was arrested in Rimini in August, was extradited from Italy to Germany on Thursday.
According to the arrest warrant issued by the Federal Court of Justice, Kuznietsov had allegedly worked as a coordinator of a group that placed explosive devices on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in September 2022 and damaged the gas lines linking Russia and Germany.
He faces charges in court, including jointly causing explosions and anti-constitutional sabotage.
A second suspect in the case, identified as Vladimir Z., was detained in Poland in late September pursuant to a European Arrest Warrant.
However, Polish authorities released him after the court blocked his extradition to Germany.
The Kremlin slammed Poland over what it described as the Polish authorities' willingness to condone terrorism as long as it hurts Russia.
Kuznetsov, a former Ukrainian military officer, is supposedly the commander of a small group of Ukrainian saboteurs.
According to the German authorities, the group rented a yacht and planted explosives on the pipelines using commercial diving gear.
The explosion severed three of the four pipelines that carried Russian natural gas to Germany.
Russia has dismissed this account of the pipelines' sabotage as "ridiculous," suggesting involvement of NATO forces due to the complexity of the covert operation.
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