(MENAFN) Italy’s highest court has paused the extradition of a Ukrainian citizen accused of helping organize the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions to Germany.

According to reports, the Court of Cassation ruled in favor of Sergey Kuznetsov, citing an “incorrect legal classification” in the European arrest warrant. His attorney, Nicola Canestrini, confirmed the decision on Wednesday, noting that the case will be reviewed again at a later stage.

Kuznetsov, a former officer in the Ukrainian military, was arrested by Italian police in August while vacationing near Rimini. He has denied any role in the blasts that damaged the pipelines built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany through the Baltic Sea.

Meanwhile, Poland’s National Security Bureau (BBN) announced its opposition to extraditing another Ukrainian suspect, Vladimir Zhuravlyov, who was detained in Warsaw in late September. “It is in the vital interest of the Polish state for the alleged perpetrator or perpetrators of the damage to the Nord Stream gas pipeline to avoid being held accountable for this act,” the BBN stated, according to reports.

Moscow has repeatedly criticized Berlin for keeping Russia out of the investigation and for what it describes as a lack of transparency.

In 2024, Sergey Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, claimed to possess “information” implicating the US and UK in the sabotage. Officials in Washington, London, and Kiev have all rejected any involvement.

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