Nord Stream sabotage: Defense says Ukrainian is safe only within Poland

The law firm representing the Ukrainian citizen reported this to Ukrinform.

“The defense welcomes the news that the Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office will not appeal the decision in the case of Volodymyr Zh., suspected of involvement in the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage. We are pleased that the arguments presented by the defense and accepted by the court have convinced the Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office to conclude the case at the first-instance stage,” the law firm said.

At the same time, they emphasized that this does not resolve Zhuravlov’s legal situation, as the European arrest warrant remains in effect in other European countries.

“In practice, this means he is safe only within Poland’s territory, but he could be detained if he travels, for instance, to the Czech Republic or Slovakia,” the firm noted.

According to Zhuravlov’s defense, the lawyers will continue working to ensure that the Ukrainian citizen can feel safe throughout all European countries.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office decided not to appeal the court’s ruling of October 17, which denied Germany’s request to extradite Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Zhuravlov and ordered his release from custody.

The man had been wanted under a European arrest warrant issued by a German court. His lawyer confirmed that Zhuravlov had been detained in Poland on September 30. He did not resist or go into hiding, maintaining his innocence.

In August, German investigators identified seven individuals allegedly involved in the Nord Stream pipeline explosions. One suspect was detained in Italy a few days after being identified, while another — reportedly a Ukrainian serviceman — is believed to have been killed in the war. Germany has issued arrest warrants for five Ukrainian citizens suspected of involvement in the sabotage.

The Ukrainian detained in Italy, whom the German prosecutor’s office suspects of coordinating the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in 2022, denied any involvement during his court hearing.

In late September 2022, explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines near Bornholm Island in the Baltic Sea caused gas leaks in four sections of the pipelines within the exclusive economic zones of Denmark and Sweden.

Russia accused Ukraine and the United States of orchestrating the explosions.

Photo: Graty