Germany seeks extradition of Ukrainian suspected of blowing up Nord Stream in 2022
Kyiv • UNN
Germany is demanding the extradition of a Ukrainian arrested in Poland, who is believed to be a member of the group that blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. Investigators claim that the man, an experienced diver, carried out underwater work to install explosives.
A German federal court is seeking the extradition of a Ukrainian arrested in Poland, who is believed to be a member of a sabotage group that blew up the Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea. Investigators claim that he carried out underwater work to install explosives, UNN reports, citing The Guardian.
Details
The man, identified by the media as Volodymyr Z., is described as an experienced diver. The man and his accomplices allegedly operated from a sailing yacht, which they rented through intermediaries from a German company using forged documents. The vessel sailed from the port of Rostock in Germany.
He was part of a group of individuals who planted explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines near the island of Bornholm in September 2022. The accused participated in the necessary dives
According to the publication, Germany is seeking the extradition of a Ukrainian arrested in Poland on suspicion of diving to the bottom of the Baltic Sea to plant explosives during the attack on the Nord Stream gas pipeline in 2022.
Underwater explosions on September 26, 2022, damaged three of the four pipelines built to transport Russian natural gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea.
These damages exacerbated tensions amid the war in Ukraine, which had been ongoing for seven months at the time, and complicated Europe's energy crisis, the publication writes.
The suspect's lawyer, Tymoteusz Paprocki, confirmed the arrest to Polish TVN24 on Tuesday.
Addition
Nord Stream 2 was never put into operation. It was built to transport Russian gas across the bottom of the Baltic Sea to Europe, but Germany suspended its certification process in February 2022 due to Moscow's recognition of self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine before its invasion. The Russian government said it could be repaired, even though Germany ruled out the possibility of putting it into operation.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Russia hopes Germany will complete its investigation into the explosions, which he said Moscow blames on Kyiv.
German investigators identified a Ukrainian group of five men and a woman whom they believe to be responsible.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his government knew nothing about any plans to blow up the pipelines.
German prosecutors said that if the man is extradited, he will be handed over to an investigating judge of the federal court in Karlsruhe. The case has diplomatic repercussions, as Germany provides military and material support to Ukraine against Russia.
Last month, another Ukrainian, 49-year-old Serhiy Kuznetsov, was arrested in Italy while on vacation on the basis of a European arrest warrant. An Italian court ruled for his extradition to Germany to face charges in the Nord Stream attack case. According to the investigation, Kuznetsov forged documents to rent a yacht through intermediaries, from which the explosions near the Danish island of Bornholm were carried out.
Earlier, UNN wrote that Volodymyr Z. was detained in Poland on a European arrest warrant issued by Germany, on suspicion of involvement in the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosion. German special services believe that he, as a diving instructor, planted explosives on the pipeline in the Baltic Sea in September 2022.