Croatian court clears extradition of Ukrainian suspect in Nord Stream sabotage case to Germany
A court in Pula, Croatia ruled on 18 September to allow the extradition of Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Zhuravlov to Germany, where he is suspected of involvement in the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. His Ukrainian defense lawyer called the decision "biased" and "political" and said the defense would appeal.
Key points
- The District Court of Pula, Croatia authorized the extradition of Ukrainian Volodymyr Zhuravlov to Germany on 18 September.
- The written ruling was provided to the parties five days after it was adopted.
- Once the ruling enters into legal force, Croatia's Ministry of Internal Affairs will transfer Zhuravlov to competent German authorities.
- Zhuravlov's Ukrainian defense lawyer, Mykola Katerynchuk, called the decision "biased" and "political"; the defense plans to appeal.
- According to his legal team, Zhuravlov declared an indefinite hunger strike in protest against the extradition decision.
- Zhuravlov had previously been detained in Poland in September 2025 and released in October 2025 after a Polish court refused his extradition to Germany.
- The ruling was issued by a panel of judges headed by Edvina Sujević.
Why it matters
The ruling moves one of the suspected divers closer to standing trial in Germany in a high-profile sabotage case that has become a focal point of geopolitical tension around the war in Ukraine and European energy infrastructure.
What happened
The District Court of Pula, Croatia ruled on 18 September 2026 to allow the extradition of Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Zhuravlov to Germany, where he is suspected of involvement in the September 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. The written decision was issued to the parties five days later, on 23 September. Once the ruling becomes final, Croatia's Ministry of Internal Affairs is to hand Zhuravlov over to competent German authorities.
Zhuravlov's Ukrainian defense lawyer, Mykola Katerynchuk, called the decision "biased" and "political" and said the defense intends to appeal. His legal company reported that Zhuravlov may declare a hunger strike in protest against the ruling. The ruling was issued by a panel of judges led by Edvina Sujević.
Zhuravlov had previously been detained in Pruszków, Poland, in September 2025 on a European arrest warrant issued by Germany, but a Polish court released him in October 2025 and refused his extradition. He was then detained in Croatia on 19 August 2026 (with sources varying on whether he was formally placed in custody on 19 or 20 August) and taken into custody on 20 August. He was working as a consultant on a Hollywood film about the Nord Stream sabotage, provisionally titled "Snake Island," when he was detained. In early September 2026, Germany updated its arrest warrant to add a "war crime" qualification.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All the supplied articles are from Ukrainian-language outlets, and the coverage centers on the suspect's Ukrainian nationality. The defense's characterization of the ruling as "biased" and "political" is foregrounded, and the defense's plan to appeal is prominently noted. Ukrainian sources highlight the role of Zhuravlov's Ukrainian defense lawyer, the earlier Polish court refusal to extradite him, and Ukrainian official denials — including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statement that Ukraine is not involved in the Nord Stream sabotage and the Office of the Prosecutor General's finding of no evidence of Ukrainian state involvement. Katerynchuk has also called on Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General to seek extradition of Zhuravlov to Ukraine rather than Germany. German prosecutors' allegation of a "Ukrainian state trace" is cited but not amplified.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ on the exact date of Zhuravlov's detention in Croatia: some give 19 August as the arrest date, while others state he was detained on 19–20 August and formally taken into custody on 20 August.
Background
Three of the four strings of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were destroyed by explosions in the Baltic Sea on 26 September 2022. Poland and Ukraine publicly blamed Russia; Russia blamed the "Anglosaxons" and denied involvement. Denmark closed its investigation in February 2024 for lack of grounds to open criminal proceedings; Sweden took a similar step.
In August 2025, German outlets Die Zeit, ARD, and Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that investigators had identified all suspects and that arrest warrants had been issued for six Ukrainian citizens. Another key suspect, Serhiy Kuznetsov, was detained in Italy in summer 2025 and extradited to Germany in autumn 2025; on 1 July 2026 he was formally charged with leading a seven-person group that sabotaged the pipelines while acting as members of the Ukrainian military, and his trial is scheduled to begin at the end of October in Hamburg. Kuznetsov denies the charges. German prosecutors have alleged a "Ukrainian state trace" in the case, while Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General has said its investigation found no evidence of Ukrainian state involvement. Damage from the sabotage has been estimated at around $280 million.