A court in Croatia has allowed the extradition of Ukrainian Zhuravlyov to Germany. He is suspected of blowing up of the “Nord Stream” pipeline
- Author:
- Khrystyna Pitsuriak
- Date:
In Croatia, the district court of the city of Pula allowed the extradition to Germany of Ukrainian Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, whom German investigators suspect of blowing up of the “Nord Stream” pipeline.
Suspilne writes about this with reference to a court order.
The panel of judges made the decision on September 18, but it was not announced in writing until five days later. Zhuravlyov’s Ukrainian lawyer Mykola Katerynchuk told reporters that they would appeal the decision.
On September 23, the law firm Katerynchuk, Moor and Partners reported that Zhuravlyov may go on a hunger strike as a protest against the Croatian courtʼs decision.
“Nord Stream” explosions
On September 26, 2022, three 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.
On August 26, 2025, German investigators issued arrest warrants for six Ukrainians suspected of involvement in the bombing. The main suspect in the case is Ukrainian Serhiy Kuznetsov, believed to be the commander of the group that blew up the gas pipelines. He denies the charges.
In August 2025, Kuznetsov was detained in Italy, and in November he was extradited to Germany and arrested there. On July 1, 2026, German prosecutors officially indicted Kuznetsov, and he is scheduled to stand trial in Hamburg (Germany), at the end of October.
Another suspect, Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, was detained in Croatia on August 19 and charged with conspiracy to commit an explosion, unconstitutional sabotage, and destruction of structures.
According to the German investigation, he was one of the divers who planted explosives on the gas pipelines. In 2024, Zhuravlyov was tried to be arrested in Poland, but he managed to leave for Ukraine.
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