A Polish court has blocked the extradition of the Ukrainian Volodymyr Z., considered a suspected participant in the Nord Stream attacks of 2022. The 46-year-old professional diver was arrested in Poland at the end of September – now Warsaw refuses to hand him over to Germany.
Explosive decision in the midst of a political tension field
According to the Polish news agency PAP, the district court in Warsaw decided to reject the extradition request from the federal prosecutor's office in Karlsruhe. They accuse Z. of jointly causing an explosive detonation and anti-constitutional sabotage. The Ukrainian is said to belong to the group that allegedly placed explosive devices on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022.
The explosions had severely damaged three of the four pipelines at the time – gas deliveries to Germany came to a halt. It is still unclear who is behind the attack.
Political Dimension: Tusk Against Extradition
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk had already signaled in advance that he rejects an extradition. "Europe's problem is not that Nord Stream 2 was blown up - but that it was built," Tusk said openly. His words show: For Warsaw, the legal issue has long since become political.
Observers speak of an affront to Germany. Already in 2024, the case caused diplomatic tensions after the suspect had gone underground in Ukraine. At that time, German investigators accused Poland of obstructing the investigation.
Second blockade within a few days
Only on Wednesday did the highest court in Italy also stop the extradition of another suspect. Thus, the investigations into the Nord Stream sabotage seem to be stuck again - and the political explosive nature of the case continues to grow.
