A Ukrainian diving instructor accused of involvement in the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines has been detained in Poland, with authorities preparing to transfer him for potential extradition to Germany.
Polish authorities arrested the suspect, identified by German investigators as Vladimir Z., in Pruszkow. He is set to face extradition proceedings in Warsaw, though his lawyer claims there are no legal grounds for his handover to German authorities. The individual was previously named by media as Vladimir Zhuravlyov, one of seven people linked to the yacht Andromeda, which prosecutors allege was connected to the explosion that damaged the undersea pipelines linking Russia and Germany.
German officials had sought Zhuravlyov’s arrest in Poland in 2024, but the request reportedly faced delays. Earlier reports suggested a vehicle with Ukrainian diplomatic plates aided his escape to Ukraine after he received advance warning. Polish media also cited an official suggesting Warsaw considered granting asylum to Zhuravlyov, stating, “Why should we detain him? For us, he’s a hero.”
In a separate development, Italian police arrested another suspected member of the alleged sabotage group—Sergey Kuznetsov, 49—near Rimini under a European arrest warrant issued by German prosecutors.
