Overview
- Volodymyr Z., a Ukrainian national identified as a diving instructor, was arrested on September 30 in Pruszków under a European arrest warrant issued by Germany.
- On October 1, a Polish court ordered seven days of provisional detention as authorities await documents from Germany, according to the suspect’s lawyer, who said he will appeal.
- German federal prosecutors allege he was part of a six-person group that placed explosive devices on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines near Bornholm in September 2022, with dives reported to about 80 meters.
- Poland must decide on a possible transfer to Germany within the statutory 100 days, while the defense contests the warrant’s legal basis and invokes the wartime context and claims about Gazprom.
- Another Ukrainian suspect was arrested in Italy in August and ordered extradited in mid-September, and with Sweden and Denmark having closed their probes in 2024, Germany remains the lead investigating authority.