German investigators have identified him as a key coordinator of the Ukrainian commando unit responsible for the September 2022 sabotage in the Baltic Sea. The attack, which used explosives placed on subsea pipelines near the island of Bornholm, severely damaged the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas lines.
The never-claimed act of sabotage caused extensive damage to the two pipelines, which were critical for supplying Russian gas to Germany prior to the war in Ukraine, and significantly heightened tensions in the conflict that had begun months earlier.
The suspect, 49-year-old Sehrii Kuznietzov, was located on holiday in Italy’s Romagna Riviera, where he had recently arrived for a five-day stay with his wife and young children. Carabinieri police apprehended him at his residence in the middle of the night; he offered no resistance and did not appear surprised. The arrest, executed under a European warrant issued on August 18, culminates an operation conducted by Italian military police in close coordination with Interpol and German authorities, which accelerated in recent hours.
Authorities had been monitoring the movements of the Ukrainian national and his family. His presence in Italy was flagged by the International Police Cooperation Service (SCIP), the body of the Department of Public Security that liaises with foreign counterparts. This alert was passed to the Carabinieri, who, after verifying guest records and confirming the suspect’s identity, surrounded the residence. Personnel from the Misano Adriatico station, along with operational and investigative units, took him into custody and transferred him to a prison in Rimini.
His devices, including his phone, were seized. The suspect, who does not speak Italian but is fluent in English, is scheduled to appear with an interpreter before a judge at the Court of Appeal in Bologna tomorrow morning. The court will rule on the execution of the arrest warrant and his extradition to Germany. The case for the General Prosecutor’s office is being handled by deputy prosecutor Licia Scagliarini.
German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig hailed the operation, stating, “This is a truly impressive investigative success, which shows that we have excellent mediators and investigators in Germany; I would like to take this opportunity to thank them.” In a statement, the German Federal Prosecutor explained that Kuznietzov is “strongly suspected of having collectively caused an explosion with explosives, of anti-constitutional sabotage, and of destruction of buildings.”
The investigation alleges that Kuznietzov and his accomplices used a yacht that set sail from Rostock to transport the explosives. The yacht had been chartered by a German company through intermediaries using false identity documents.
Following news of the arrest, the Genoa Prosecutor’s Office has also tasked its DIGOS police unit to acquire information on Kuznietzov. This is in connection with their investigation into an attack last February off the coast of Savona, where the Maltese-flagged tanker Seajewel was damaged by two explosive devices. The primary theory pursued by Genoan DIGOS and Coast Guard investigators is that the tanker was sabotaged by pro-Ukrainian elements, as the Seajewel was suspected of being linked to “ghost fleets” circumventing the embargo on Russian oil.