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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
A Ukrainian man in Poland who German prosecutors accuse of involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, which used to bring Russian gas to Germany, has given his first interview.
Speaking to Polish state broadcaster TVP shortly after a Warsaw court on Friday refused to extradite him to Germany, Volodymyr Zhuravlov said: “I did not blow up Nord Stream.”
Zhuravlov revealed that the first time he had learned that he was a suspect in the case was last year, when a search of his home was carried out by officers of Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) along with four German colleagues.
The Ukrainian, who has lived in Poland since 2022 and gave the interview in fluent Polish, told TVP that he had not been at home at the time but that the officials seized all of his diving gear.
German prosecutors reportedly believe that Zhuravlov was one of the divers who planted explosives on the pipelines in 2022, rendering them inoperable. Speaking to TVP, he described diving as a “hobby” and said that he has been practising for around 15 years.
Zhuravlov was detained last month by the Polish authorities, acting on a European Arrest Warrant issued by Germany. It was then up to Warsaw’s district court to decide whether there were grounds to extradite Zhuravlov to Germany.
On Friday, it decided that he should not be extradited, though that decision can still be appealed.
In justification for the ruling, the judge, Dariusz Łubowski, said that the act of attacking enemy infrastructure for the purposes of fighting “a just, defensive war…can under no circumstances constitute a crime”.
The Polish judge's justification for not extraditing the Nord Stream sabotage suspect to Germany:
"Blowing up infrastructure…in a just, defensive war…is not sabotage but military action…that under no circumstances constitutes a crime…On the contrary, it is justified" https://t.co/7IzNv2qgwV
— Daniel Tilles (@danieltilles1) October 17, 2025
Speaking to TVP alongside Zhuravlov, his lawyer, Tymoteusz Paprocki, praised the court for “making a very clear distinction [between]…who is the aggressor and who is the victim”.
“This decision is extremely important, not only from the perspective of Ukrainian citizens in the European Union, but I believe it shapes a certain line of jurisprudence in general,” he added.
Paprocki also said that “the German side did not present any evidence [to the Polish authorities] that would indicate possible perpetration” of the crime by his client. “Germany did not substantiate or prove the allegations levelled against Volodymyr in any way.”
The lawyer noted, however, that Germany’s European Arrest Warrant against Zhuravlov is still in place, meaning his client could be similarly detained and face an extradition hearing if he visits another EU country.
Polish PM @donaldtusk says it is "not in the interest of Poland or of decency and justice" to extradite to Germany the Ukrainian man recently detained on a European Arrest Warrant for his alleged involvement in sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines https://t.co/W2Yfm4CcCn
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) October 8, 2025
The Polish court’s decision was welcomed by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who last week had declared that it was “not in Poland’s interest, or in the interest of a simple sense of decency and justice, to charge or extradite this citizen to another country”.
However, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister of Hungary, which enjoys warm relations with Russia, criticised Polish leaders for “celebrating a terrorist” and the Polish court for effectively “giving permission for terrorist attacks in Europe”.
Germany’s foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, meanwhile, said that he “respects [the court’s decision] because we recognise the separation of powers” and “it is not the executive branch’s role to interfere”.
Earlier this week, Italy’s top court also blocked the extradition to Germany of another Ukrainian suspected of involvement in the Nord Stream sabotage.
“Poland is celebrating a terrorist,” writes Hungary’s foreign minister in response to Donald Tusk welcoming today’s decision by a Polish court not to extradite the Nord Stream sabotage suspect to Germany pic.twitter.com/Umj8f3IoH3
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) October 17, 2025
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: TVP Info (screenshot)
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
