A Polish court on Monday decided that the Ukrainian diver sought by Germany for his alleged role in explosions damaging the Nord Stream gas pipeline must remain in custody for an additional 40 days, according to his lawyer.
Volodymyr Z. was detained near Warsaw last Tuesday, and the court decided he would be kept in custody for seven days. The court decided on Monday to extend his detention while a decision is made on whether to transfer him to Germany based on a European arrest warrant.
Described by both Moscow and the West as an act of sabotage, the explosions marked an escalation in the Ukraine conflict and squeezed energy supplies. No one has taken responsibility for the blasts, and Ukraine has denied any role.
Another Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the attacks was arrested in Italy in August and has planned to fight extradition to Germany.
“The court rejected the prosecutor’s request for a 100-day pre-trial detention, instead ordering it for 40 days,” Volodymyr Z.’s lawyer, Tymoteusz Paprocki, told journalists.
Paprocki said previously that his client had done nothing wrong and would plead not guilty.
A court spokesperson said he would remain in custody until November 9.
Germany’s top prosecutors’ office said in an earlier statement that the diver was one of a group of people who were suspected of renting a sailing yacht and planting explosives on the pipelines, which run from Russia to Germany, near the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022.
He faces accusations of conspiring to commit an explosive attack and of “anti-constitutional sabotage”, the German prosecutors added.
Mysterious Blasts
In September 2022, one of the two lines of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was damaged by mysterious blasts, along with both lines of Nord Stream 1 that carried Russian gas to Europe.
Both the U.S. and Ukraine have denied having anything to do with the attacks, as has Russia. Moscow, without providing evidence, blamed Western sabotage for the blasts, which largely severed Russian gas supplies to the lucrative European market.
Denmark and Sweden closed their Nord Stream pipeline investigations in February 2024, leaving Germany as the only country continuing to pursue the case.
Danish authorities concluded there was “deliberate sabotage of the gas pipelines” but found “insufficient grounds to pursue a criminal case”, while Sweden closed its investigation, citing a lack of jurisdiction.
(With inputs from Reuters)
