Serhii Okay., 49, was arrested in northern Italy on Thursday following the issuance of a European arrest warrant by German prosecutors.
It’s not identified whether or not he was nonetheless serving on the time of the pipeline assault in 2022 and Ukraine’s authorities has all the time denied any involvement within the explosions.
In accordance with sources near the case, the suspect has been present in a three-star bungalow lodge named La Pescaccia in San Clemente, within the province of Rimini.
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Man arrested over Nord Stream assaults
When army officers from Italy’s Carabinieri investigative and operational items raided his bed room, he did not strive to withstand the arrest.
The lodge’s workers have been questioned, however no additional proof or any weapons had been discovered, the sources added.
Serhii arrived on Italy’s Adriatic coast earlier this week, and the aim of his journey was a vacation. He was discovered along with his two kids and his spouse.
At the very least one of many 4 folks inside his household had a journey ticket issued in Poland. He crossed the Italian border along with his automobile with a Ukrainian license plate final Tuesday.
He was travelling along with his passport, and he used his actual identification to verify into the lodge, triggering an emergency alert on a police server, we have now been instructed.
Picture:
A satellite tv for pc picture exhibits gasoline from the Nord Stream pipeline effervescent up within the Baltic Sea. File pic: Roscosmos through Reuters
After the arrest, he was taken to the Rimini police station earlier than being moved to a jail in Bologna, the regional capital, on Friday.
He additionally denied the fees and stated he was in Ukraine through the Nord Stream sabotage. He added that he’s at present in Italy for household causes.
Whereas leaving the court docket, he was seen making a typical Ukrainian nationalist ‘trident’ gesture to the reporters.
The following listening to is scheduled for 3 September, when the Bologna enchantment court docket is ready to resolve whether or not Serhii will probably be extradited to Germany or not. He’ll stay in jail till then.
In Germany, he’ll face expenses of collusion to trigger an explosion, anti-constitutional sabotage and the destruction of buildings.
German prosecutors consider he was a part of a bunch of people that planted gadgets on the pipelines close to the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022.
Serhii and his accomplices are believed to have set off from Rostock on Germany’s north-eastern coast in a crusing yacht to hold out the assault.
The explosions severely broken three pipelines transporting gasoline from Russia to Europe. It represented a big escalation within the Ukraine battle and worsening of the continent’s vitality provide disaster.
In accordance with a US intelligence report leaked in 2023, a pro-Ukraine group was behind the assault. But, no group has ever claimed duty.
Picture:
Spare pipes for the Nord Stream 2 gasoline pipeline. File pic: Reuters/Fabian Bimmer
Anti-terrorism prosecutors are investigating one other alleged sabotage linked to the Russian shadow fleet oil tanker Seajewel, which sank off the port of Savona final February.
On Thursday, they requested an investigative police unit to determine whether or not there’s a hyperlink between that episode and the Nord Stream assaults.
