A Ukrainian diving instructor accused of involvement in the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines is set to be extradited to Germany. Polish authorities detained the man, identified by German investigators as Vladimir Z., in Pruszkow and will transfer him to Warsaw for extradition proceedings, according to reports. His lawyer claims there are no legal grounds for his handover to Germany.
The suspect, previously named by media as Vladimir Zhuravlyov, is linked to a seven-member group that allegedly operated aboard the yacht Andromeda, which German prosecutors have connected to the explosives attack on the undersea pipelines. Earlier reports indicated that Polish officials reportedly obstructed Germany’s 2024 arrest request for Zhuravlyov, with claims that a vehicle bearing Ukrainian diplomatic plates facilitated his escape to Ukraine after he was warned.
Polish media previously cited an official suggesting Zhuravlyov should not be detained, calling him “a hero.” Meanwhile, Italian police arrested another suspected member of the group, Sergey Kuznetsov, 49, near Rimini under a European arrest warrant issued by German prosecutors.