Poland opposes extradition of Ukrainian diver suspected of undermining Nord Stream

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said his government is not interested in extraditing a Ukrainian citizen to Germany.

Germany suspects Volodymyr Z. of involvement in the explosion of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in 2022, The Maritime Executive.

According to German media, German investigators have asked the Polish authorities to arrest and extradite a Ukrainian diver. German intelligence services believe he may have been involved in the explosions on the bottom of the Baltic Sea that damaged three of the four gas pipelines.

At the time of the incident, both gas pipelines, owned by a consortium controlled by Russia’s Gazprom, were not operational – their work was suspended due to political disagreements between Germany and Russia after the start of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In a comment to Polsat News, Donald Tusk stressed that he sees no benefit for Poland in extraditing the suspect. According to him, charging or handing over a citizen to another state is “definitely not in Poland’s interests,” and the decision will be made by the court.

Tusk also stressed that the real problem for Europe is not the explosion itself, but the fact that Nord Stream 2 was built.

USM previously reported that Polish Greenpeace activists protested against the resumption of Nord Stream.