Volodymyr Z., a Ukrainian suspected by Germany of involvement in the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosion, has been detained in Poland, as reported by an RMF FM correspondent. The man was wanted on the basis of a European arrest warrant issued by a German court, UNN writes, citing RMF24.
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According to reports, Volodymyr Z. was detained by police officers in Pruszków, Poland. He has now been transferred to the Warsaw District Prosecutor's Office. His extradition procedure is expected to begin in the near future, the publication writes.
As Tymoteusz Paprocki, the detainee's lawyer, told RMF FM, according to Volodymyr Z.'s defense, there are no grounds for his extradition to the German justice authorities.
"Given the full-scale war in Ukraine and the fact that Nord Stream belongs to the Russian company Gazprom, which finances this activity, the defense currently sees no possibility of accusing anyone involved," Paprocki said.
He also noted that it is currently unknown whether his client participated in this sabotage.
German special services, who are pursuing Volodymyr Z., concluded that he was involved in the pipeline explosion. The suspect is a diving instructor and, according to them, in September 2022, he went to the Baltic Sea on a yacht from Rostock, then went underwater and allegedly placed explosives on the underwater pipeline, the publication writes.