The “Nord Stream” case: Croatian court allowed extradition of a Ukrainian to Germany

The district court of the Croatian city of Pula allowed the extradition of Ukrainian national Volodymyr Zhuravlyov to Germany, where he is suspected of blowing up the Nord Stream and Nord Stream-2 pipelines. 18 August 2025, the Federal Supreme Court of Germany issued an arrest warrant for Zhuravlyov on suspicion of sabotage. A panel of judges decided on the extradition on 18 September, but notified him in writing five days later. Croatia’s Ministry of the Interior will hand the Ukrainian over to the competent German authorities, the court decision says, writes Suspilne. Zhuravlyov’s Ukrainian lawyer, Mykola Katerynchuk, called the decision biased and political. According to him, the defense will appeal. Recall that at the end of September 2022, operator Nord Stream AG reported destruction after powerful explosions occurred simultaneously on three strings of the offshore Nord Stream-1 and Nord Stream-2 pipelines. The damage is unprecedented and “the timeline for restoration cannot yet be estimated.” German investigators believe the Ukrainian allegedly led a group of six people who mined the pipeline strings and then detonated them remotely. In Germany, Zhuravlyov faces up to 15 years in prison. The Ukrainian denies any involvement in the sabotage. 21 August, Italian police arrested Zhuravlyov on suspicion of blowing up the Nord Stream pipeline. The court found that he should be extradited to Germany. 17 October 2025, a hearing took place in Warsaw. Following it, the court decided to reject Germany’s extradition request for the Ukrainian and ordered his immediate release from custody. The European Union and NATO called the explosions in the Baltic Sea an “intentional act” of sabotage, and Poland and Ukraine blamed Russia. In March 2023, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine was not involved in the pipeline explosions. According to him, such information could be spread to slow down aid to Ukraine.