The perpetrators of the "Nord Stream" sabotage acted on Zaluzhny's orders,
— Welt (They gave him the nickname "James Bond" in prison)
Was it really him? A Ukrainian man arrested in Italy is alleged to have been involved in the blowing up of the Nord Stream pipelines—at least, that's what German investigators say, demanding his extradition. The man's lawyer defends himself in WELT. The hearing will continue this week.
After heavily armed police raided a bungalow complex near the Italian Adriatic city of Rimini on the night of August 21 and arrested a Ukrainian man during his family vacation, Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD) praised the "impressive investigative success of the Federal Prosecutor's Office." 49-year-old Serhii K. is said to have been part of the crew of the sailing yacht "Andromeda ," chartered in Rostock-Warnemünde, which is suspected of planting explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in September 2022. Investigators are convinced that Serhii K. played a coordinating role.
However, the Ukrainian denies the allegations, as his lawyer Nicola Canestrini told WELT. Serhii K., against whom the Federal Prosecutor's Office obtained a European Arrest Warrant from the Federal Court of Justice, is being held in a high-security prison, according to Canestrini, whose location he declined to disclose for security reasons. In the overcrowded prison, prison staff ironically call him "James Bond."
"Germany wants my client extradited as soon as possible. But there are hurdles to overcome. I haven't even been granted full access to the files yet. Furthermore, the detention conditions would have to be reviewed," Canestrini explained.
The hearing on the extradition request lasted more than five hours on Wednesday before a court in Bologna, which accepted the lawyer's arguments. A new hearing is scheduled for next Tuesday. Canestrini said that so far no one from the Ukrainian embassy has sought contact with his client. "This is very unusual, especially since he served as an officer in the Ukrainian army until the end of 2023," the lawyer wondered.
He also found it incomprehensible that his client had been classified as a terrorist in Italy, even though this categorization was not included in the European arrest warrant issued by Germany. This meant that his client would not be allowed to attend the hearings in Bologna and would only be able to participate via video link.
Canestrini demands that the findings of Denmark and Sweden, which had closed their investigations into the Nord Stream attack, be taken into account. He wants to know whether their evidence would also have been sufficient to support this serious suspicion.
Conspicuous traces
According to WELT, German investigators from the Federal Police and the Federal Criminal Police Office are convinced they have solved the case. Journalists from the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Zeit, and ARD have reported the investigation results in detail and wrote that investigators now know the real names of the entire crew of the sailing yacht "Andromeda." There is ample evidence that Ukrainian authorities were involved, the media reported. One investigator told WELT that the crew was allegedly commissioned by the former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Valery Zalushny, who is now Ukraine's ambassador to Great Britain.
In intelligence circles, however, there are still doubts as to whether the sailing yacht story is true. The crew's behavior was too conspicuous, and the traces on the "Andromeda" were so numerous that it seemed as if they were trying to lure investigators, says an intelligence expert. "All nonsense," counters an official familiar with the investigation, whom WELT was able to speak to.
He accuses those who suspect Russia or the US of being the real masterminds of believing in conspiracy theories. Whether the whole truth will come to light will perhaps become clear in a trial, and Serhii K. may then be in the dock. But there's still a long way to go before that happens.
Während Ermittler überzeugt sind, dass ein ukrainisches Kommando die Pipelines in der Ostsee gesprengt hat, suchen Agenten weiterhin nach den Hintermännern. Die Segelyacht, von der aus der Anschlag verübt worden ist, hat mittlerweile ein zweites Leben.
www.welt.de
telma.com.mk
