Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, a citizen of Ukraine, whom German investigators suspect of being involved in the explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines in the fall of 2022, stated in an interview with the Polish TV channel TVP Info that he has no connection to these events. After being released from custody in Poland, Zhuravlyov firmly rejected all accusations.
This is reported by Kyiv24
“No, I did not commit any crime on German territory and did not blow up the Nord Stream,” Zhuravlyov stated.
Polish Court Denies Extradition of Ukrainian to Germany
Zhuravlyov was detained in Poland at the end of September on suspicion of involvement in the pipeline explosion. However, the Warsaw District Court decided not to extradite him to Germany, while simultaneously releasing the Ukrainian citizen from custody. Lawyer Tymosz Paprocki reported that the court rejected all evidence presented against Volodymyr Zhuravlyov.
Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasized that the country is not interested in extraditing the detainee, despite Germany’s requests for extradition in the case of the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines.
Suspicions, Investigations, and the Defendant’s Position
Zhuravlyov himself noted that he left Ukraine with three minor children three days before the start of the full-scale aggression by the Russian Federation. He confirmed his passion for diving and his physical ability to dive to a depth of 80 meters, where the pipeline explosions occurred, but insists that he was not involved in the attack and was in Ukraine at that time.
In October, international media reported that German authorities issued six arrest warrants for suspects in the pipeline sabotage, while a seventh suspect—a Ukrainian serviceman—was reported to have died at the front, according to media sources. Three German publications reported that the investigation has identified all members of the “sabotage group,” all of whom are citizens of Ukraine. According to their information, the group included four divers (among them a record-holding woman in deep-sea diving), an explosives specialist, a skipper, and a coordinator.
The explosions that occurred in September 2022 near the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea seriously damaged both pipelines—Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2—destroying three out of four strands. These pipelines were intended for transporting Russian gas to Western Europe; however, after the explosions, the pipeline is not subject to restoration. Investigations conducted by Sweden, Denmark, and Germany confirmed the fact of sabotage, but the final culprits have not yet been identified.
Russia has refused to participate in the investigation, shifting the blame to the USA and its partners, who, in turn, deny any involvement. Western media have repeatedly reported that individuals associated with Ukrainian intelligence services may have been involved in organizing the explosions, but Kyiv firmly rejects these accusations.
The Nord Stream pipelines have been sanctioned by the European Union, as EU countries viewed them as a potential tool for Moscow to exert pressure on European states.