Poland “will not rush” to extradite suspect in “Nord Stream” sabotage case to Germany

Minister-Coordinator of Polandʼs Special Services Tomasz Siemoniak stated that there is "no reason" to rush to extradite to Germany the suspect in the “Nord Stream” sabotage case, Ukrainian Volodymyr Zh.

His words are reported by Onet.

He added that the case is "extremely serious" and should be thoroughly investigated.

"This is a court decision, as well as a matter of the prosecutorʼs officeʼs assessment of the situation. I believe that there is absolutely no reason for hasty action here. The case is extremely serious, and I believe that our prosecutorʼs office, our court should investigate it thoroughly, without any political pressure, without haste," said Siemoniak.

At the same time, the head of the presidential Bureau of International Policy Marcin Przydach said that it was necessary to carefully analyze whether there were any grounds for handing over the man to German services. He added that Poland had obligations in this matter, but was "not completely helpless".

"Perhaps it is really necessary to check whether the transfer of this gentleman to German services, firstly, complies with all procedures, secondly, meets the interests of Poland and the interests of the entire Euro-Atlantic community, and thirdly, it is also necessary to consider the political consequences of such a decision," he noted.

According to Przydach, the extradition of the suspect could affect relations between the Polish and Ukrainian governments.

"However, perhaps Kyiv will take into account the fact that the state led by Donald Tusk does not always pursue a policy that meets regional interests, but too often listens to the voices coming from Berlin," he said.

The suspect Volodymyr Zh. was detained in Poland on September 30. According to the German investigation, he is a diving instructor and in September 2022 went to the Baltic Sea on a yacht from “Rostock”, after which he went underwater and installed explosive charges on an underwater pipeline. He was arrested on October 1.

“Nord Stream” explosions

On September 26, 2022, 3 explosions occurred on the “Nord Stream 1” and “Nord Stream 2” pipelines, which run along the bottom of the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, causing massive gas leaks. Only one of the four strands of the pipeline remained intact.

The US, UK and EU governments have declared a deliberate sabotage. Russia believes that the US and its allies are interested in the bombings. Western and Russian media have written about different versions — from sabotage by the Russians themselves to the involvement of Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied Ukraineʼs involvement in the sabotage.

Germany is investigating the role of former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi in the sabotage of the “Nord Stream” pipeline, as reported by the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal. Zelensky allegedly initially approved the plan, but later ordered it canceled, and Zaluzhnyi continued the operation despite this.

On August 26, 2025, German investigators issued arrest warrants for six Ukrainians suspected of involvement in the bombing. Ukrainian Serhii Kuznetsov, who was detained in Italy and suspected of involvement in the sabotage, denies the charges. An Italian court allowed his extradition to Germany.

• In November 2024, the German newspaper Der Spiegel published an investigation that stated that the saboteurs who sabotaged “Nord Stream” also planned to blow up “TurkStream” in the Black Sea, but they failed.
• In early February 2024, Sweden closed its investigation into the “Nord Stream” sabotage due to lack of jurisdiction. Following Sweden, Denmark also closed its investigation.

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