A Polish court has issued a release order for a Ukrainian man wanted by Germany for allegedly participating in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline.
The latest developments in the Nord Stream case have increased tensions regarding the prosecution of suspects.
Defendant Volodymyr Zhuravlev, 45, was arrested last month near Warsaw under a German wanted warrant, on charges related to placing explosives on the Nord Stream pipeline in September 2022. The pipeline connecting Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea was the world's largest offshore gas pipeline at the time.
Polish judge Dariusz Lubowski ruled that the evidence provided by the German government was not enough. He also noted that the pipeline attack was a legitimate activity, considering that the attack was carried out in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Proponents of suspect Zhuravlev in Poland and Ukraine who attended the trial on October 17 shouted: " giving the hero freedom!". They also cheered after the judge's verdict.
A German government spokesman declined to comment on the Polish ruling, citing the independence of the Polish judiciary and German prosecutors.
German prosecutors say the Nord Stream sabotage is a crime. Germany accused Zhuravlev, an experienced deep-sea diver, of being among the Ukrainians who used a small sailing boat to plant explosives on the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines. Germany has issued an arrest warrant for 7 suspects - 3 soldiers and 4 divers.
A senior German investigator involved in the investigation noted that Germany had issued an arrest warrant for Europe, an EU document that must be enforced by law. The only problem before the Polish court is whether the warrant will be issued under the law. He called the decision to release Zhuravlev "shameful".
Zhuravlev has lived near Warsaw with his wife and three children since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He is a free agent in Poland. He will return home to his wife and children, where he should have been for the past time, Tymoteusz Papki, the suspects lawyer, said after the trial.
Zhuravlev said he felt relieved to be able to return home. He will not be able to travel to any other European Union country due to a German arrest warrant. Ukraine must have a plan to protect those who have defended the country, on an international scale, after the conflict ends, he said.
In addition to the suspect in Poland, the German authorities are also looking to extradite the suspect, the commander of the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage group. The man, identified as Serhii K, was arrested in Italy in August under a German arrest warrant.
A Ukrainian military captain and former member of Ukraine's security agency SBU, Sergii K served in a special forces unit during the Nord Stream attack, according to Ukrainian investigators and officials.
The Bologna court, Italy, approved the extradition of suspect Serhii K to Germany, but the Nord Stream suspect's lawyer appealed to the highest Italian court. This week, the Italian court ruled that there were errors in procedures and ordered the lower court to reconsider the case of Sergii K's extradition.
