There will be no extradition of the suspect responsible for blowing up Nord Stream. Prime Minister: That's right, case closed

The court decided to refuse the German authorities to extradite Volodymyr Ż., and also to revoke the preventive measure in the form of pre-trial detention and order his immediate release – said judge Dariusz Łubowski on Friday.

– First of all, you are free – Zh said to Volodymyr. judge.

He then emphasized that the German authorities' request to extradite the man should not be granted. He emphasized that the subject of these proceedings is not to determine whether the person being prosecuted has committed the act with which he is accused by the German side, but only whether this act may constitute the basis for the execution of a European arrest warrant.

– The Polish court does not have any evidence in this case, because the German side only sent very general information – he added.

An appeal may be lodged against the decision of the Warsaw District Court to the Court of Appeal.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk: That's right, case closed

“The Polish court refused to extradite to Germany a Ukrainian suspected of blowing up Nord Stream 2 and released him from custody. And rightly so. Case closed,” wrote the head of government on X.

Earlier on Friday, before the Warsaw court announced this decision, the Prime Minister was asked by journalists in the Sejm about the results of a survey in which nearly half (49.2 percent) of respondents believed that Poland should not extradite Volodymyr Ż to the German services.

– There are several obvious reasons why the Polish state is not interested in prosecuting those who fight against Russia, but on the other hand there are also European regulations, the European Arrest Warrant, so the matter is also damned complicated in the international dimension, and in the end, as you know, the court decides – said the Prime Minister.

He also said that history “is still about the same thing.” – That is, in our opinion, the real problem was the construction of Nord Stream 2, not its blowing up, however brutal these words sound and how they may annoy some Germans, Tusk said.

Defense Attorney: The client cannot be prosecuted for actions against Russia

This is one of the most important days in the history of the Polish justice system, said Tymoteusz Paprocki, defense attorney of Volodymyr Żurawlov, commenting on the court's lack of consent to the man's extradition to Germany.

The lawyer expressed satisfaction that the court not only took into account the arguments put forward by the defense, but “in general went further in terms of the possibility of prosecuting Ukrainian citizens,” he said.

He emphasized that from the very beginning he had argued that no Ukrainian citizen could be prosecuted or convicted on the territory of the European Union for actions against Russia, and today's decision of the district court confirms this.

He added that the decision is a signal to Germany that “the law must be understood” and should be interpreted in the spirit for which it was created. – The signal that comes from the court today is that the law should always be on the side of the injured person, and not be used instrumentally for larger interests – he added.

The judge also drew attention to this aspect. – Ukrainian soldiers and all those acting as part of the armed forces of Ukraine, including special forces or on behalf of special forces, cannot be considered terrorists or saboteurs, because by all means pursuing the goal of defending their homeland, they weaken the enemy – emphasized judge Dariusz Łubowski.

The defense lawyer informed journalists that the court gave full consent to the publication of his client's image, name and surname.

The destruction of three of the four lines of Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, intended to transport natural gas from Russia to Germany, occurred on September 26, 2022 (more than seven months after the outbreak of full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine) at a depth of approximately 80 meters, at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. The 49-year-old Ukrainian claims that he had nothing to do with the attack and that he was in Ukraine at the time it occurred. (PAP)

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