LONDON 

Italy’s highest court has approved the extradition of a Ukrainian man suspected of involvement in an explosion that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines more than three years ago.

Serhii Kuznietsov, 49, was detained in August on a European arrest warrant while holidaying with his family at a campground near Rimini, on Italy’s Adriatic coast.

On Wednesday, the Cassation Court rejected his final appeal, clearing the way for his transfer to Germany within days, according to local media reports.

German authorities suspect Kuznietsov of being involved in the underwater blasts that ruptured the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which transported Russian natural gas to Germany via the Baltic Sea.

It was alleged that Kuznietsov served as one of the coordinators of a group that planted explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines near Denmark’s Bornholm Island in September 2022.

Investigators believe the suspect and his accomplices carried out the operation using a sailing yacht, placing the explosives that severely damaged both pipelines on Sept. 26, 2022.

The attack also damaged the nearby Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which never entered service after Germany halted its certification shortly before Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia had already stopped gas supplies through Nord Stream 1 at the end of August 2022.

The pipeline explosions have been the focus of intense international scrutiny, with several nations conducting investigations.

However, responsibility for the blasts has remained unclear, contributing to tensions surrounding Europe’s energy security during the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Kuznietsov is expected to be handed over to German authorities shortly, where he will face formal charges related to the incident.