The District Court in Warsaw has decided to deny Germany’s request to extradite Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Zh., who is suspected by Berlin of involvement in the Nord Stream pipeline explosions, and has lifted his temporary arrest.
The ruling was announced during a court hearing on Friday, reports a Ukrinform correspondent.
“The court denied the extradition request and lifted Volodymyr Zh.’s arrest,” said Renata Siwiecka, an employee of the law firm representing the Ukrainian’s interests, in a comment to the agency.
She added that the defense team was satisfied with the court’s decision, noting that it “strengthens faith in the Polish judicial system.”
According to Siwiecka, the ruling does not bring Volodymyr Zh.’s case to an end but means that he will continue to prove his innocence while remaining at liberty.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, commenting on Volodymyr Zh.’s case on Friday, stated that Poland is not interested in prosecuting people who are fighting against Russia.
On October 1, the District Court in Warsaw ruled to impose a seven-day temporary arrest on Volodymyr Zh. to ensure the procedure of his potential extradition to Germany. Later, the arrest was extended for an additional 40 days.
The man was wanted under a European arrest warrant issued by a German court. The lawyer representing Volodymyr Zh. confirmed that his client had been detained in Poland on September 30. He offered no resistance and had not been hiding, considering himself innocent.
In August, German investigators identified seven individuals allegedly involved in the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage. One of them was arrested in Italy a few days after being identified. Another suspect, reportedly a Ukrainian serviceman, is believed to have been killed in the war. Germany issued arrest warrants for five Ukrainians suspected of involvement in the operation.
The Ukrainian citizen arrested in Italy, whom the German prosecutor’s office suspects of coordinating the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in 2022, denied any involvement during court proceedings.
At the end of September 2022, explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines near Bornholm Island in the Baltic Sea caused gas leaks at four sections of the pipelines located in the exclusive economic zones of Denmark and Sweden. Russia accused Ukraine and the United States of orchestrating the explosions.
Photo: Freepik