"If he did it, it was justified" – Scandal in Poland: Court released Ukrainian suspect in Nord Stream sabotage

The decision caused an uproar in Europe when the Polish court dismissed the European arrest warrant from Germany and released Ukrainian Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, who is accused of participating in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea in 2022.
This case revolves around the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea, which occurred in September 2022, one of the most controversial incidents in the early months of the war in Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, 46, a Ukrainian diver, was arrested near Warsaw on September 30th under a German warrant. German prosecutors described him as a trained diver, a member of the team that placed explosives on the pipelines near the island of Bornholm, Denmark.
However, the Regional Court of Warsaw rejected the extradition of the suspect and ordered his immediate release, causing applause in the courtroom.
The judge even stated that, even if he participated in the attack, his actions were "justified"!
His lawyer, Tymoteusz Paprocki, stated that his client "does not admit his guilt, did not commit any crime against Germany, and does not understand why these charges were brought."
He also added that "no Ukrainian should be prosecuted for actions against Russia"!
Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister of Poland, openly supported the court's decision, emphasizing that the refusal to extradite the Ukrainian was "absolutely correct" and that "the case is considered closed."
This is the second recent arrest of a Ukrainian in connection with the investigation into the sabotage, as another Ukrainian was arrested in Italy last month.
The Zhuravlyov case reignites the controversy over who is responsible for the Nord Stream sabotage. Initially, Western media had blamed Russia, implying that it "bombed itself." However, the narrative has changed several times.
In 2024, a revealing report from the Wall Street Journal claimed that Ukrainian military circles were behind the operation, possibly without the direct orders of Volodymyr Zelensky.
On the other hand, Seymour Hersh, the award-winning American investigative journalist, insists that the CIA and a special team from the U.S. Navy were behind the sabotage.
Today's decision by Poland shows how deeply Europe is divided on the matter and how the political protection of Ukrainian suspects has become part of a broader geopolitical game.

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