Croatian court allows extradition of Nord Stream blast suspect to Germany, media reports

A Croatian court has ruled that a Ukrainian ​man suspected of being involved in ​the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline blasts ‌can ​be extradited to Germany, Ukraine's Suspilne news portal reported on Thursday. German prosecutors have said the man — identified as Vladimir Z. — was ‌a scuba diver who was part of a group behind the blasts, which followed Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine earlier that year.

The explosions — described by Russia and Western countries as sabotage — damaged ‌the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, a vital route for Russian gas exports to Europe, as ‌well as the Nord Stream 2 branch, which had yet to enter service. Vladimir Z.'s lawyer, Mykola Katerynchuk, dismissed the court ruling, made on Friday last week, as biased and political and said there would be an ⁠appeal, ​according to the Suspilne report.

German ⁠courts have treated the case as falling within their jurisdiction because the damaged pipelines terminate in the German state ⁠of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and their destruction affected Germany's energy security and internal safety. Vladimir Z. was arrested in ​August in a hotel in the Croatian coastal city of Pula on a European ⁠arrest warrant. He has denied any involvement, his lawyers have said.

Another suspect in the case, former Ukrainian army ⁠officer Serhii ​K., was charged by prosecutors in July with orchestrating the blasts while acting on behalf of Ukrainian state entities. That man — who was arrested in Italy in August ⁠2025 and transferred to Germany in November — has also denied any involvement in the blasts near the ⁠Danish island of ⁠Bornholm.

The County Court in Pula confirmed on Thursday it had made a ruling, but said it could not go into details until ‌the parties had ‌decided whether to appeal.