A Polish court has denied Germany’s request to extradite a Ukrainian man suspected in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline bombings, ordering his immediate release in a ruling that deals a second blow to the German investigation within a week. The decision on Friday, October 17th follows a similar move by an Italian appeals court, which blocked the extradition of another Ukrainian suspect and halted his transfer to Germany.
Volodymyr Zhuravlyov , the suspect in Poland, is alleged by German prosecutors to have been part of a team that rented a sailing yacht to plant explosives on the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm. In Italy, the suspect, Serhii K., is accused by German authorities of being the mastermind of the operation.
The Italian court in Bologna ruled that Serhii K.’s right to a fair trial had been violated. His defense successfully argued that Italian prosecutors had wrongly classified his case under terrorism charges that did not align with the German allegations. The defense also contended that K. had been unable to fully inspect the German case files and was assigned a “completely unsuitable” translator. The court ordered the case to be reheard in Bologna.
In Poland, the court’s reasoning went further, invoking a concept of state immunity. Judge Dariusz Lubowski, delivering the verdict, declared Germany’s extradition request inadmissible.
“The person being prosecuted, if he was the perpetrator, is entitled to functional immunity, which covers an act committed in connection with his activities for the Ukrainian state,” Judge Lubowski said. “If Ukraine was indeed the organizer of this act of aggression, then only Ukraine can be held responsible for this event.”
Ukraine has consistently denied any involvement in the Nord Stream explosions.
The Polish ruling aligned with the position of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who had previously voiced opposition to the extradition on grounds of national interest.
“The problem was not that the undersea pipelines, which run from Russia to Germany, were blown up in September 2022, but that they were built at all,” Tusk said earlier this month.
Following the court’s decision, Tusk expressed approval on the social media platform X, writing: “Polish court denied extradition to Germany of a Ukrainian national … And rightly so. The case is closed.” Tusk is suspected to be interfering with the court system to save the Ukrainian suspect, who has been released from custody following the court’s decision. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stated that Berlin respected the ruling and would not fight the Polish decision.
