Overview

• Serhii K., 49, was detained by Italian carabinieri in the Rimini area on August 21 under a European arrest warrant issued by Germany on August 18, marking the first arrest in the case.
• He told the Bologna appeals court on August 22 that he was in Ukraine at the time of the explosions and requested a Ukrainian interpreter; judges set the next hearing for September 3 and kept him in custody.
• German authorities say he is suspected of helping direct a team that placed explosives near Denmark’s Bornholm island on September 26, 2022, severely damaging Nord Stream 1 and 2.
• Investigators contend the team traveled from Rostock on a rented yacht obtained via intermediaries using false identities to reach the pipelines.
• He faces accusations including complicity in explosion, sabotage against the constitutional order, and destruction of infrastructure, as Germany continues its probe after Sweden and Denmark closed theirs in 2024 and governments deny involvement.