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 says he is being treated as 'criminal no.1', 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 - by hand - 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 reported attempts to deliver special food to the prison were refused, and they worry that he seemed 'exhausted'.
The Nord Stream pipelines were destroyed deep beneath the Baltic Sea at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a high-profile and controversial attack.
Many initially suspected Russian involvement and an attempt by Moscow to blackmail Europe by restricting its energy supplies. However, this summer, German prosecutors activated arrest warrants for two individuals suspected of carrying out the attack: Serhiy Kuznetsov and another Ukrainian citizen, Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, who was detained in Poland.
German prosecutors cited charges of 'anti-constitutional sabotage' as a basis for the extradition requests. In contrast, a court in Warsaw ruled against Zhuravlyov's extradition, suggesting that if Ukrainians were involved, such an attack could be viewed as legitimate self-defense in a 'bloody, genocidal war.'
Meanwhile, a court in Bologna approved Kuznetsov's extradition, and he is appealing this ruling. His lawyer noted that Kuznetsov had lost 9kg during his hunger strike and was 'doing fine and is clear of mind.'
Addressing his circumstances in a letter, Kuznetsov states, 'He understands that his government currently has more important matters to attend to, searching for an end to the war.' Ultimately, he expresses his love for Ukraine and his commitment to serve.
His final appeal hearing in Italy is due in the next couple of weeks.
