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A Ukrainian ex-military officer jailed in Italy is on the 10th day of a hunger strike, accusing authorities of mistreating him to extract a confession over Russia's Nord Stream pipeline sabotage in 2022, according to the BBC. Serhii Kuznetsov is now awaiting his final appeal hearing on extradition to Germany, expected within the next couple of weeks.
The Nord Stream pipelines, a key conduit for transporting Russian gas to Europe, were severely damaged by underwater explosions in September 2022—several months into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Three of the four pipelines carrying gas to Germany were destroyed beneath the Baltic Sea, and no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Serhii Kuznetsov, detained in August on a German arrest warrant, is fighting extradition from Italy over allegations of involvement in the undersea explosions that hit the Nord Stream pipelines near Bornholm.
In a handwritten letter shown to the BBC by his lawyer, Kuznetsov described being held in a high-security facility alongside suspected members of ISIS. He said he's being treated as “criminal no.1” and accused Italian authorities of using coercive pressure to force a confession.
“The Italians have been cynically ignoring my dietary habits for the past two months,” he wrote, referring to his vegetarianism. “They think that these restrictions can affect my position, and make me confess my guilt. But such efforts are futile.”
Kuznetsov also described being forced to exercise in isolation, under armed guard, and subjected to what he called “maximum restrictions.”
His lawyer, Nicola Canestrini, said the prison refused food delivered by Kuznetsov's relatives.
“He told me he had lost 9 kg when I said that his clothes were hanging loosely,” the lawyer told the BBC.
Germany activated arrest warrants this summer for two Ukrainian men it suspects of blowing up the pipelines: Kuznetsov and Volodymyr Zhuravliov, who was detained in Poland. German prosecutors cited “anti-constitutional sabotage” as the basis for the extradition requests.
A judge in Warsaw blocked Zhuravlyov’s extradition, ruling that if Ukrainians carried out the sabotage, it could be interpreted as legitimate self-defense in the context of Russia's “bloody, genocidal war.” In contrast, a court in Bologna approved Kuznetsov’s extradition last month in a closed hearing. He is currently appealing that decision for a second time.
Kuznetsov’s lawyer also accused the Ukrainian government of abandoning his client, despite his military background.
On 9 November, Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said an adviser was reviewing the case and would look into Kuznetsov’s prison conditions.
Ukraine is fighting back not only on the frontline but also against those who exploit the war for their own benefit. Ukrainian law enforcement has uncovered a large-scale fraud scheme that has stolen $480,000 from volunteers and soldiers.
An organizer of the scheme was extradited from Armenia and handed over to Ukrainian authorities on 28 October at the Krakivets checkpoint on the Polish border, according to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's office.
According to the investigation, an organized group created fake online stores and social media pages, posting ads for the sale of cars, drones, thermal imagers, and other equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
To gain trust, the perpetrators posed as volunteers, sharing photos and “reports” from the front lines.
After receiving advance payments, which sometimes amounted to hundreds of thousands of hryvnias, the fraudsters disappeared without a trace.
The organizer and three accomplices have been charged. Indictments have already been sent to court against three members of the group. They face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
Ukraine needs international assistance now more than ever, as Russia’s war continues into its fourth year.
To ensure that goodwill remains a force for good, it is crucial to verify volunteers and donate only through trusted organizations.
A Russian marine accused of torturing a Lithuanian citizen in occupied Ukraine has been extradited to Lithuania from Ukraine. This is the first time Ukraine has handed over a Russian suspect to a foreign country for war crimes prosecution since Russia's full-scale invasion began.
A Russian soldier suspected of torturing civilians, including a Lithuanian national, in occupied Melitopol has been extradited to Lithuania, Liga and Delfi reported on 31 October. The man, identified as a senior seaman from the 177th Naval Infantry Regiment of Russia’s Caspian flotilla, was transferred on 29 October and placed in pretrial detention in Vilnius for three months by court order the following day.
Lithuanian Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė announced the extradition at a press conference, calling it a landmark moment in international cooperation. Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who authorized the transfer, joined her in Vilnius for the announcement.
Authorities say the suspect was directly involved in guarding and abusing detainees. Grunskienė detailed the torture methods allegedly used by the man and his fellow soldiers: beatings, electric shocks, suffocation until unconsciousness, hanging captives by their bound arms, dousing them with freezing water, and confining them in metal safes.
Ukrainian forces captured the suspect in August 2023 near the village of Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Kravchenko says. He has since been charged in Lithuania under articles relating to war crimes against civilians and prisoners of war, torture, unlawful imprisonment, and violations of the Geneva Conventions. If convicted, he faces 10 to 20 years or a life sentence.
Kravchenko emphasized that the transfer of the suspect was not only a legal step but also a warning.
“This is a clear message to every war criminal: you will not escape responsibility in any country of the free world. Justice will be served,” he said, as cited by Liga.
An appeals court in the Italian city of Bologna on 27 October confirmed the decision to extradite Ukrainian national Serhiy Kuznetsov to Germany, where he is suspected of involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions, world news agencies report.
The 49-year-old Ukrainian was arrested in August near the Italian city of Rimini based on a European arrest warrant. German prosecutors believe he was part of a group that placed explosive devices on the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea.
The Bologna court's initial extradition ruling came on 16 September, but Italy's Court of Cassation overturned that decision on 15 October. At the time, the cassation court supported the defense's argument that there was "an incorrect legal qualification of the facts underlying the European arrest warrant," defense attorney Nicola Canestrini stated.
The 27 October ruling clears the way for German prosecutors to directly question the suspect in connection with the sabotage that severed a key link for Russian gas supplies to Europe. Canestrini announced after the Bologna court's decision that he would appeal to the Court of Cassation in Rome.
Under German personal data protection laws, the man is identified only as Serhiy K. He faces charges of conspiracy to commit an explosion, anti-constitutional sabotage, and destruction of critical infrastructure.
The explosive device detonated on 26 September 2022. The blasts caused severe damage to both pipelines — three of the four strings were destroyed. The pipeline, built to deliver Russian gas to Western Europe, cannot be restored.
Investigations by Sweden, Denmark, and Germany showed the pipelines were blown up, but those responsible have yet to be identified. Russia has not participated in the investigation. Moscow blamed the United States and its allies for what happened. They deny involvement.
Numerous Western media outlets have written that the explosions were organized by people connected to Ukrainian intelligence services. Kyiv denies accusations of organizing the sabotage.
German prosecutors emphasized this was a serious attack on Germany's energy infrastructure — regardless of the political motives of those who carried out the explosion.
The Nord Stream pipelines came under EU sanctions this year, as European Union countries recognized them as a potential tool for Moscow's pressure on Europe.
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