Croatian court authorizes extradition of Ukrainian Zhuravlov to Germany in "Nord Stream" case
The District Court in the Croatian city of Pula has authorized the extradition of Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Zhuravlov to Germany, where he is suspected of involvement in the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.
According to Censor.NET, citing Suspilne, the court issued its ruling on September 18, but written notice of the decision was provided five days later.
"Once this ruling enters into force, the Croatian Ministry of the Interior will hand Volodymyr Zhuravlov over to the competent German authorities," the document states.
Zhuravlov’s Ukrainian lawyer, Mykola Katerynchuk, called the court’s ruling biased and political and said the defense would appeal it.
Zhuravlov was detained in Pula, Croatia, on August 19 under a European arrest warrant issued by Germany. German federal prosecutors believe the Ukrainian, a professional diver, was part of a group involved in planting explosives on the pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
Poland had previously refused to extradite Zhuravlov to Germany. In October 2025, the Warsaw District Court rejected the German request and released him from custody.
The sabotage of the "Nord Stream" pipelines
- On 26 September 2022, three explosions occurred on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which run along the seabed of the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, causing massive gas leaks.
- The governments of the US, the UK, and the EU have stated that this was a deliberate act of sabotage.
- In early February 2024, Sweden closed its investigation into the bombing of the Nord Stream pipeline due to a lack of jurisdiction.
- Subsequently, Germany issued arrest warrants for all those suspected of carrying out acts of sabotage on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022. All of them are Ukrainian nationals.
- The Bologna Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of the extradition to Germany of the Ukrainian national Serhii Kuznetsov.
- On 1 October, the Warsaw District Court ruled that the Ukrainian national Volodymyr Zh., whom the German authorities suspect of involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022, should be remanded in custody for seven days.
- On 6 October, the Warsaw Regional Court extended the detention of the Ukrainian national Volodymyr Zh. by 40 days.
- The Court of Appeal in Bologna upheld the decision to extradite to Germany Ukrainian national Serhii Kuznetsov, who is suspected of involvement in the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022.
- Subsequently, the Italian Constitutional Court authorised the extradition of Ukrainian citizen Serhii Kuznetsov to Germany.
- On 27 November, Italy extradited the Ukrainian Serhii Kuznetsov to Germany.
- On 28 November, Kuznetsov was taken into custody in Germany.
- According to media reports, Kuznetsov served in the Special Operations Forces.
- On July 1, 2026, Germany’s Federal Prosecutor General for the first time brought formal charges against Ukrainian citizen Serhii Kuznietsov, who is suspected of involvement in the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines on September 26, 2022.
- On August 19, it became known that another suspect in the case concerning the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines had been detained in Croatia. The suspect was Volodymyr Zhuravlov.
- On August 20, a Croatian court remanded Zhuravlov in custody.
