In Croatia, a court hearing on the extradition of a Ukrainian citizen to Germany in the case of the sabotage of the 'Nord Stream' pipelines has been postponed. The hearing, which was scheduled for Friday, September 4, was delayed due to a change in procedural documents by the German side. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a statement from the law firm 'Katerinchuk, Moor and Partners,' which represents the defense.
Warrant update and hearing postponement
According to the publication, the German prosecution has updated the European arrest warrant. It was precisely this change in documents that led to the cancellation of the Croatian court session scheduled for September 4. The defense notes that the warrant update effectively opens a new procedural stage, which will have to be worked through again, and emphasizes that work to protect the rights of the Ukrainian citizen is ongoing.
New qualification: 'war crime'
The key change in the updated warrant, as reported by RBC-Ukraine, was the expansion of the charges: the German side added a new qualification — 'war crime.' This substantially changes the nature of the case and the potential consequences for the suspect, as well as complicates the defense's procedural work, which now has to challenge a broader list of claims.
Case context: detention on a film set
It is worth recalling that Germany issued the arrest warrant back in June 2024. According to German law enforcement, Vladimir Zhuravlev, referred to in the prosecution's documents as 'Vladimir Z.,' may be linked to a Ukrainian sabotage group that allegedly planted explosives on the 'Nord Stream' pipelines. Previously, RBC-Ukraine reported that the suspect was detained in Croatia right on the set of a Hollywood film about underwater divers.
Contradictory data
The sources contain a discrepancy in the identification of the detained individuals. RBC-Ukraine states that a second Ukrainian citizen has been detained in Croatia, who is linked to the 'Nord Stream' case, but his surname is not disclosed. At the same time, the publication only tentatively — 'presumably' — identifies this person with Vladimir Zhuravlev. Thus, the direct link between the 'second detainee' and Zhuravlev is not unambiguously confirmed in the original source, but is based on the editorial assumption. In addition, the text mentions two different time points: June 2024 (issuance of the warrant) and September 4 (the planned but postponed hearing), which is important to consider when assessing the chronology.
Defense's position
In its statement, the law firm 'Katerinchuk, Moor and Partners' called the warrant update a 'new stage in the fight for the rights of the Ukrainian citizen' and declared that it would continue its work. The defense, therefore, acknowledges the fact of the document change and is preparing a legal response to the expanded qualification of the charges, including the addition of the 'war crime' item.
