A Polish judge has refused to extradite a Ukrainian citizen – suspected by Germany of sabotaging the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022 – arguing that if Ukraine was responsible for the attack, then it was a just act.
Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, who was brought to Warsaw District Court in handcuffs, was detained in Poland last month on a European arrest warrant.
Judge Dariusz Lubowski ordered his release, after a ruling that was met with a ripple of surprise from the crowd in court and a smile from the man in the dock.
Mr Zhuravlyov, along with others, is suspected of planting explosives deep beneath the Baltic Sea on the pipelines leading from Russia to Germany.
Blame for the blasts, which crippled a long-controversial energy supply line from Russia to Germany, initially focused on Moscow until signs of Ukrainian involvement began to emerge.
Officials in Kyiv have repeatedly denied any role.
Extradition cases within the EU are usually quick and straightforward, but the Nord Stream case is proving to be very different.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose government is a key ally of war-torn Ukraine, immediately posted on X that the ruling was right.
Case closed, he wrote.
Inside the giant district courthouse in Warsaw, Judge Lubowski announced his decision in a long and passionate speech, mentioning the context of the war in Ukraine as critical. He argued that Ukraine had the legal right to defend itself against Russia's invasion, which he described as a bloody and genocidal attack.
The attack had deprived the enemy of billions of euros paid by Germany for the gas… and weakened Russia's military potential, Lubowski asserted.
He noted that what could be seen as terrorism or sabotage in peace time was different in a time of war, emphasizing the unique circumstances surrounding the case.
He also raised questions about Germany’s jurisdiction over the blast sites located in international waters on pipelines predominantly owned by the Russian state.
Following the ruling, Zhuravlyov will receive compensation from the Polish state, and his wife expressed relief at the verdict, emphasizing the importance of understanding from the judiciary in light of their circumstances.