A Ukrainian former military officer is on the 10th day of a hunger strike in an Italian prison, where he has accused the authorities of mistreating him to make him confess to blowing up Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea in 2022.
Serhiy Kuznetsov was detained in Italy in August on an arrest warrant from Germany.
In a letter shown to the BBC by his lawyer, Mr. Kuznetsov claims he is being treated as criminal no.1 and held in a high-security facility alongside suspected members of so-called Islamic State (IS or Isis). The BBC has contacted the prison, but it has not yet commented.
No one has admitted carrying out the attack on the pipelines carrying Russian gas to Germany.
In his first public comment since his arrest, Mr. Kuznetsov writes that the Italians have been cynically ignoring my dietary habits for the past two months - referring to his vegetarian diet. They think that these restrictions can affect my position and make me confess my guilt. But such efforts are futile.
A relative of Mr. Kuznetsov's expressed concern about his deteriorating health, stating that attempts to deliver special food to him had been refused.
The Nord Stream pipelines were destroyed during the early days of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a highly controversial attack that initially led many to suspect Russian involvement.
However, German prosecutors have since issued arrest warrants for Kuznetsov and a second suspect, Volodymyr Zhuravlyov. Legal proceedings have become complex, with contrasting decisions made in Italy and Poland regarding their extradition.
Kuznetsov's lawyer claims he feels his client has been abandoned by his home country amid the ongoing war efforts.
Ukrainian officials have consistently denied involvement in the pipeline attack and have declined to comment further on the case.
The human rights ombudsman in Kyiv has stated that an adviser will look into the matter and assess prison conditions, while Kuznetsov remains clear in mind despite his hunger strike, awaiting his appeal hearing.
