Undermining Nord Stream: Poland refuses to extradite detained Ukrainian to Germany
19 October 2025 16:06
On Friday, October 17, a hearing was held in Warsaw in the case of Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Zhuravlev, whom Germany suspects of involvement in the explosions at the Nord Stream gas pipeline. As a result, the court ruled to reject Germany’s request for the Ukrainian’s extradition and ordered his immediate release from custody.
This was reported by the Polish edition RMF24, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
“The court did not agree to extradite the suspect in the Nord Stream bombing to Germany Vladimir Zh. and canceled his temporary arrest,” the report says.
It is noted that before the announcement of the court’s decision, the Ukrainian’s lawyer, Tymoteusz Paprocki, said that “Volodymyr Z. cannot count on a fair trial in Germany.”
“If the European Union authorities recognize Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 as the military infrastructure of the Russian Federation, as provided for by the regulations and decisions of the EU Council, which support military operations in Ukraine, then how, despite this knowledge, can Germany see actions that constitute constitutional sabotage?” Paprotsky added to .
According to Rzeczpospolita, the court believes that the German side did not provide enough evidence in the case, as the documents provided are less than one page long.
“The Warsaw District Court does not have jurisdiction to determine whether the accused was an accomplice in the bombing of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, nor to assess his guilt or innocence. The Polish court is obliged to assess whether there are any obstacles to the extradition of the accused by the German authorities as part of this proceeding,” the judge said.
Also during the hearing, the defense brought accusations against the German justice system, claiming that, in their opinion, there is an “absolute obstacle to the execution of the European Arrest Warrant”.
“The defense argued that the possible extradition of the suspect to Germany would violate his rights and freedoms. According to the defense, this is due to the political context of the case and the high politicization of German courts, as well as the dependence of judges on the executive branch, i.e. on politicians. As an example of such politicization, the defense pointed to the fact that judges in Germany are appointed and promoted by politicians,” the judge added.
After the hearing, Mr. Zhuravlev’s lawyer, Tymoteusz Paprocki, emphasized the importance of the court’s decision for the protection of the rights of Ukrainian citizens in the EU.
“I believe that today is one of the most important days in the history of the Polish justice system. We are very pleased that the court not only accepted the defense’s arguments, but also went further in the issue of the possibility of criminal prosecution of Ukrainian citizens. I am extremely pleased that not a single Ukrainian citizen can be prosecuted or convicted in the European Union for actions against Russia,” Paprocki said.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk commented on the court’s decision, calling it fair.
“The Polish court refused to extradite a Ukrainian suspected of the Nord Stream 2 explosion to Germany and released him from custody. And this is fair. The case is closed,” Tusk wrote.
As a reminder, on September 30, a Ukrainian suspected by Germany of involvement in the explosion at the Nord Stream gas pipeline was detained in Poland. The man was detained in Pruszkow and transferred to the district prosecutor’s office in Warsaw.
on October 1, the Warsaw District Court ruled that Vladimir Zhuravlev be temporarily detained for 7 days.
on October 6, the court extended the temporary detention of the Ukrainian for another 40 days.
What is known about the investigation into the Nord Stream bombing and the role of Ukrainians in the case
According to RMF FM, the German side claims that it has identified the direct involvement of a Ukrainian in the explosion of the gas pipeline. The suspect is a diving instructor, and, according to them, in September 2022, he allegedly “sailed from Rostock to the Baltic Sea on a yacht, then dived underwater and placed explosives on the underwater pipeline.”
In August, German media reported that Vladimir Z. had recently been living near Warsaw. As journalists from ARD and the daily newspapers Süddeutsche Zeitung and Die Zeit found out, in early June 2024, German prosecutors sent a European arrest warrant for Volodymyr Z. to Poland, but the Polish authorities did not arrest the Ukrainian.
In August, another Ukrainian was arrested in Italy, allegedly involved in the explosions on the Nord Stream pipeline. He was identified as Serhiy Kuznetsov. He was allegedly on board a yacht during the sabotage that took place in the fall of 2022. German prosecutors claim that the man allegedly coordinated the operation, and his accomplices are still wanted.
