The long and convoluted saga of the Nord Stream pipeline explosions has taken another dramatic turn. On August 22, Italian media published an image allegedly depicting Sergey Kuznetsov, a 49-year-old Ukrainian man arrested a day earlier on suspicion of masterminding the sabotage of the pipelines in September 2022. The publication of his photograph, reportedly sourced from either police or official identity records, is the latest piece in a puzzle that continues to raise questions not only about culpability but also about the geopolitical motives behind one of the most consequential acts of energy sabotage in modern history.

Kuznetsov was arrested near Rimini, Italy, on August 21 under a European arrest warrant issued by German prosecutors. He is accused of leading the team responsible for planting explosives on the Nord Stream pipelines near Denmark’s Bornholm Island. These explosions disabled three out of the four gas conduits that carried Russian natural gas directly to Europe, an act that immediately escalated already strained relations between Moscow and the West.

German authorities allege that Kuznetsov organized the sabotage operation using a rented yacht in Rostock, Germany, under forged documents. Divers allegedly placed explosives on the underwater sections of the pipelines, triggering massive blasts that were registered at magnitudes of 2.3 and 2.1 on the Richter scale. If convicted under German law, Kuznetsov could face up to 15 years in prison on charges of causing an explosion, anti-constitutional sabotage, and destruction of vital infrastructure.

He is expected to appear at the Bologna Court of Appeal for a hearing to validate his arrest and to determine the timeline of extradition to........

© Blitz