The Warsaw District Court is set to hold a hearing today on the extradition of Volodymyr Z., a Ukrainian national suspected of involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines. German authorities have requested his transfer under a European Arrest Warrant.
Decision Expected at 11:00 a.m.
The court session will begin at 11:00 a.m. Volodymyr Z., currently held in pre-trial detention in Warsaw, will be brought before the court.
On October 6, the same court extended his detention until November 9, though it did not fully grant the prosecutor’s request. Instead of the 100 days sought, the court approved only 40 days of detention from the date of arrest.
Judge Anna Ptaszek, the court’s spokesperson, explained that the extension was based on the timeframe within which the case should be resolved in the first instance.
“The legal basis for extending pre-trial detention stems from the provisions binding Poland under the European Arrest Warrant,” said Judge Ptaszek.
The court concluded that, although Volodymyr Z. has a place of residence in Poland, there is a genuine risk that he may flee or go into hiding. This conclusion was supported by findings from previous proceedings related to both the European Arrest Warrant and a European Investigation Order.
Germany Accuses the Suspect of Sabotage and Destruction of Nord Stream 2
The Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe accuses Volodymyr Z. of constitutional sabotage, property destruction, and participation in the Nord Stream 2 bombing. He was arrested on September 30 at his residence in Poland. The Ukrainian maintains that he had nothing to do with the attack.
Parallel Case in Italy
The case of Volodymyr Z. is not the only one connected to the Nord Stream explosions. On Wednesday, Italy’s Supreme Court overturned an appellate court decision approving the extradition of another Ukrainian suspect, Serhiy K., also wanted by Germany in connection with the 2022 attack.
The Supreme Court remanded the case for reconsideration after the defense argued that the suspect’s fundamental rights—including the right to a fair trial and humane detention conditions—had been violated.
Serhiy K. was arrested in August near Rimini, where he was vacationing with his family. According to German investigators, he may have been the mastermind of the operation, rather than merely one of its coordinators.
Background: The Nord Stream Destruction
The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines—built to transport natural gas from Russia to Germany—were severely damaged on September 26, 2022, over seven months after the outbreak of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Three of the four pipeline strings were destroyed at a depth of around 80 meters on the floor of the Baltic Sea.
According to German prosecutors, a group of saboteurs, allegedly including Ukrainian nationals, carried out the operation using a yacht rented in Rostock under false identities. Divers reportedly attached at least four explosive charges to the pipeline before being extracted and transported back to Ukraine.
The investigation remains ongoing, and today’s decision by the Polish court on the extradition of Volodymyr Z. could prove to be a key turning point in the international inquiry into one of the most mysterious acts of sabotage in recent years.
