Overview
- Judges in Warsaw ruled against handing over Volodymyr Z., a 46-year-old Ukrainian diver sought by German prosecutors in the 2022 pipeline blasts, with the ruling open to appeal.
- German authorities allege he helped a team that rented a yacht from Rostock and planted explosives near Bornholm, pursuing charges including conspiring to cause an explosion and anti-constitutional sabotage.
- Earlier this week, Italy’s Court of Cassation annulled an order to extradite Serhii Kuznietsov and sent the case back to the Bologna appeals court, halting his transfer.
- Defense teams say both men deny involvement; Kuznietsov says he was serving in Ukraine at the time, and Volodymyr Z.’s lawyer questions criminal liability for damaging Russian property during wartime.
- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has argued that extradition is not in Poland’s interest, a stance that has drawn concerns from German diplomats about judicial cooperation as the investigation continues.