The Croatian court agrees to extradite Żurawlov to Germany in the Nord Stream case

The portal, citing the lawyer of the Ukrainian accused by Berlin of blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines, Mykola Katerynchuk, informs that Volodymyr Zhuravlov justifies his application for political asylum in Croatia by saying that "he cannot count on a fair trial in Germany." At the same time, Katerynczuk emphasized that the asylum application does not suspend the extradition procedure.

The court consents to Żurawlow's extradition to Germany

On Thursday, the district court in Pula, Croatia, agreed to the extradition to Germany of Żurawlow, suspected by German law enforcement authorities of involvement in the blowing up of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. The defense announced an appeal.

Germany sent two requests to Croatia for Żurawlów's extradition based on European arrest warrants of June 5, 2024 and August 28, 2026. In the first case, the charges concerned sabotage against the constitutional order - intentionally causing an explosion and destruction of buildings. In the second case, the act was classified as a war crime related to an attack on civilian facilities and disruption of the functioning of municipal infrastructure.

The Croatian prosecutor's office supported extradition on the basis of both warrants. The defense referred to, among others: to the ruling of the District Court in Warsaw of October 17, 2025, which refused to hand over Żurawlów to the Germans. She also argued that the non bis in idem principle applies in the case, according to which the same person cannot be prosecuted or punished again for the same act if the case has already been legally resolved.

The court in Pula rejected these arguments. He found that the Polish court's ruling does not oblige Croatia to refuse to execute the European arrest warrant, and the Croatian court should apply its own provisions.

Explosions of Nord Stream gas pipelines

According to German investigators, Zhuravlov was one of four Ukrainian divers who were to plant explosives on the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in September 2022.

The explosion of three of the four gas pipelines intended to transport natural gas from Russia to Germany occurred on September 26, 2022 near the Danish island of Bornholm. The diver claims that he had nothing to do with the attack and that he was in Ukraine at the time of the explosion.

Żurawlow had previously been detained in Poland, where he lived after leaving the country. In October 2025, the District Court in Warsaw refused to extradite him to Germany and lifted his provisional arrest, ordering his release.