Kyiv says not interfering in case of Ukrainian detained in Poland over Nord Stream sabotage

Kyiv is not interfering in the case of a Ukrainian citizen detained by Warsaw at Germany's request in connection with the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar said on Oct. 7.

The comments come amid renewed debate over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and Poland's handling of a German extradition request for a Ukrainian national accused of involvement in the 2022 explosion.

The suspect, identified as Volodymyr Z., was detained in September in east-central Poland.

Bodnar emphasized that the case is a judicial matter under Polish jurisdiction.

"We are not interfering because this is simply a court case. Everything depends on justice," he told Polish outlet RMF FM. "Of course, the court is the court, and it must make the appropriate decision. The Ukrainian side is acting in accordance with Polish law."

"It is in our interest to protect the interests of our citizen, and we, for our part, as the embassy and consulate, are providing him with all the necessary support."

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which never became operational, had long been a flashpoint in European energy politics. Even before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, critics warned that it deepened Germany's dependence on Russian gas and undermined European energy security.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also commented on the case, saying that those who built the Nord Stream 2 pipeline "should be ashamed and remain silent," not those accused of sabotaging it.

Tusk said extraditing the suspect would be "against Poland's interests," and he shared Poland's stance with former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Volodymyr Zelensky "many months ago."

The prime minister described the pipeline, which links Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea, as a project that ran "against the most vital interests of the whole of Europe."

Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland's minister-coordinator for intelligence services, said earlier that the case is "extremely serious" and that the court has up to 100 days to decide whether to extradite the suspect.

German investigators allege that Volodymyr Z., a diving instructor, helped place explosives on the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022. Another Ukrainian suspect was detained in Italy in August on similar charges.

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The Kyiv IndependentAlisa Yurchenko