ROME - An Italian appeals court in Bologna has ruled to extradite a former Ukrainian serviceman suspected of involvement in the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions to Germany, Italian news agency ANSA reported Monday.

Serhii Kuznietsov, 49, was arrested on Aug 21 in Italy's Rimini province. He is believed to be one of the main masterminds behind the 2022 explosions that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines.

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The report said that the Bologna Court of Appeal approved the extradition in September, but the defense filed an appeal with Italy's Supreme Court, citing procedural flaws. The Supreme Court subsequently suspended the extradition process and sent the case back to Bologna for retrial.

After a new hearing, the Bologna court reaffirmed its earlier decision, approving the handover of the suspect to German authorities.