Croatian Court Clears Extradition of Nord Stream Blast Suspect to Germany

A Croatian court has ruled that a Ukrainian man suspected of involvement in the 2022 explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines can be extradited to Germany, his lawyer said, adding that the decision would be challenged on appeal.

The suspect, identified as Vladimir Z., was arrested in August at a hotel in the Croatian coastal city of Pula under a European arrest warrant. German prosecutors have alleged that he worked as a scuba diver within a group that carried out the blasts.

The County Court in Pula confirmed it had issued a ruling but declined to give details until the parties had decided whether to appeal. The decision was made on Friday last week, according to the account given by the suspect's lawyer, Mykola Katerynchuk, who described the ruling as biased and political.

Vladimir Z. has denied any involvement in the explosions, his legal team has said.

German courts have asserted jurisdiction over the case because the damaged pipelines terminate in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and because their destruction affected Germany's energy security and internal safety.

The blasts, which Russia and Western countries have described as sabotage, struck the Nord Stream 1 pipeline — a key route for Russian gas exports to Europe — as well as the Nord Stream 2 branch, which had not yet begun operating. The explosions occurred near the Danish island of Bornholm, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine earlier that year.

A second suspect, former Ukrainian army officer Serhii K., was charged by prosecutors in July with orchestrating the explosions while acting on behalf of Ukrainian state entities. He was arrested in Italy in August 2025 and transferred to Germany in November, and has also denied involvement.