Nord Stream Extradition Approved
Croatia approves the extradition of a Ukrainian diving instructor to Germany over pipeline sabotage.
Anonymous
A court in Pula, Croatia, ruled that Ukrainian diving instructor Volodymyr Zhuravliov may be extradited to Germany, where he is suspected of helping a group plant explosives that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022. German prosecutors allege the blasts targeted strategic infrastructure; Zhuravliov has denied involvement, according to his lawyers. His attorney has called the ruling biased and politically motivated and says the defense will appeal; Zhuravliov also plans an indefinite hunger strike, his lawyers said. A Polish court rejected Germany’s extradition request and released him in 2025, but that decision did not prevent Croatia from considering the German warrant separately. The blasts damaged Nord Stream 1 and a branch of Nord Stream 2, which had not entered service.
Key Points
1
Zhuravliov was arrested in August at a hotel in the Croatian coastal city of Pula under a European arrest warrant issued at Germany’s request.
2
German courts have asserted jurisdiction because the damaged pipelines terminate in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and their destruction affected Germany’s energy security and internal safety.
3
A second suspect, former Ukrainian army officer Serhii Kuznetsov, was charged by German prosecutors with allegedly orchestrating the blasts on behalf of Ukrainian state entities; he has denied involvement.
4
Zhuravliov’s lawyers said Germany amended its arrest warrant in early September to add a war-crime classification; they said the change led the Croatian court to postpone an earlier hearing, though the account was not independently confirmed.
5
The explosions occurred near Denmark’s Bornholm island, off the Swedish coast, on September 26, 2022.
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