Nord Stream suspect accuses Italy of pressure to confess

A former Ukrainian military officer entered the tenth day of his hunger strike in an Italian prison, where he accused authorities of mistreating him to force him to confess to blowing up Russian Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea in 2022.

In August, Serhiy Kuznetsov was arrested in Italy on an arrest warrant issued by Germany.

In a letter presented to the BBC by his lawyer, Kuznetsov says he is being treated as “criminal No. 1”, being held in a high-security facility alongside suspected members of the so-called Islamic State. The BBC has contacted the prison, but it has not yet commented.

No one admitted to carrying out the attack on the pipelines transporting Russian gas to Germany.

In his first public comment since his arrest, Kuznetsov wrote in handwriting that “Italians have been cynically ignoring my eating habits for the past two months” – a reference to his vegetarian diet.

“They believe that these restrictions can influence my position and make me admit my guilt. But such efforts are futile.”

A relative of Mr. Kuznetsov told me that they had tried to deliver special food to the prison, but had been turned away — and were concerned that he looked “overwhelmed.”

The Nord Stream pipelines deep in the Baltic Sea were destroyed at the start of Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine.

It was a high-profile and controversial attack.

Many initially suspected Russia’s involvement and Moscow’s attempt to blackmail Europe by restricting its energy supplies.

But this summer, German prosecutors activated arrest warrants for two of the men suspected of carrying out the attack: Serhiy Kuznetsov and another Ukrainian national, Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, who was arrested in Poland.

German prosecutors cited charges of “unconstitutional sabotage” as the basis for extradition requests.

A judge in Warsaw ruled against Zhuravlev’s extraditionSaying that if Ukrainians were involved, such an attack would be considered legitimate self-defense in a “bloody genocidal war.”

In Italy, by contrast, a court in Bologna last month approved the extradition of Serhiy Kuznetsov in a closed hearing. He is currently appealing against this ruling for the second time.

“He told me that he lost nine kilograms of weight when I told him that his clothes were hanging loosely,” Nicola Canestrini, the Ukrainian’s lawyer, said after visiting his hunger-striking client.

The lawyer said Kuznetsov refuses to eat any solid food but is “in good condition and at peace of mind.”

In his letter, Serhiy Kuznetsov complains that he is forced to exercise in isolation, under armed guard, and is subjected to “extreme restrictions.”

His lawyer told the BBC that he himself felt that the Ukrainian government had “abandoned Kuznetsov like an old shoe.”

“He was in the army, so they have to know if he’s there or not? If he’s there, they have to protect him, and if he’s not, they have to protect him too,” he said, referring to the attack.

Ukrainian officials have always denied any involvement. They declined to comment again recently when contacted by the BBC.

Dmytro Lobinets, Kiev’s human rights ombudsman, said on Sunday that a consultant was looking into the case and would check prison conditions.

In his letter, Kuznetsov says he realizes that his government “currently has more important matters to attend to, namely the search for an end to the war.”

He ended on a patriotic note, saying: “I love Ukraine very much and I am happy to have the honor of being an officer in its armed forces.”

The final appeal hearing is scheduled to be held in Italy within the next two weeks.