A Polish court has ruled against extraditing a Ukrainian man wanted by Germany in connection with the 2022 Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions, a decision that could strain relations between Warsaw and Berlin and complicate the ongoing investigation into one of Europe's most politically charged acts of sabotage.
The Warsaw District Court on Friday rejected Germany's extradition request for 46-year-old Volodymyr Z., a Ukrainian national accused by German prosecutors of participating in an operation that placed explosives on the Nord Stream pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm. The court ordered his immediate release, citing legal immunity tied to his service for the Ukrainian state.
Judge Dariusz Lubowski, who presided over the case, said, "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." He added, "If Ukraine was indeed the organiser of this act of aggression, then only Ukraine can be held responsible for this event."
The decision follows weeks of debate in Poland over whether handing over the suspect would align with national interests. Prime Minister Donald Tusk had warned that extraditing Volodymyr Z. "was not in Poland's interest." After the verdict, Tusk wrote on X: "Polish court denied extradition to Germany of a Ukrainian national... And rightly so. The case is closed."
The ruling arrives amid heightened political sensitivities across Europe, where the Nord Stream explosions continue to reverberate. The September 2022 blasts crippled two undersea pipelines that carried Russian natural gas to Germany, cutting off a key energy artery and intensifying Europe's scramble to find alternative supplies.
Germany's federal prosecutor's office alleges that Volodymyr Z. was part of a group that rented a yacht to transport explosives and dive equipment to the Baltic Sea, where the charges were set. He faces accusations of conspiring to commit an explosives attack and "anti-constitutional sabotage." His Polish lawyer, Tymoteusz Paprocki, dismissed the allegations, saying, "My client doesn't admit guilt, he didn't commit any crime against Germany and he doesn't understand why these charges were made by the German side."
Paprocki also argued that no Ukrainian should face prosecution for acts against Russian assets during wartime. Ukraine has denied any role in the pipeline explosions. The suspect's wife told Polish media that he was in Poland with his family at the time of the blasts.
