After Arrest in Croatia, Nord Stream Suspect Taken into Custody
He is alleged to have been one of the divers who attached explosives to the Nord Stream pipelines. Following the Ukrainian national's arrest in Croatia, a court will now rule on his extradition. For the time being, he has been remanded in custody.
A court in Croatia has remanded Ukrainian national Volodymyr S. in pre-trial detention following his arrest in connection with the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea. A judge ordered pre-trial detention due to flight risk "with a view to his extradition" to Germany, the court in the coastal city of Pula announced.
S. had previously been questioned by a public prosecutor. He was arrested in Pula on Wednesday on the basis of a European Arrest Warrant issued by Germany.
Matija Milos, the Ukrainian's attorney, told journalists yesterday that his client would challenge the impending extradition through legal means and pursue all available avenues of appeal. Under Croatian law, the proceedings — including any appeal — must be concluded within 60 days.
S. Reportedly Served as Consultant on Hollywood Film Production
The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office charges S. with, among other things, jointly causing an explosion using explosives, and seeks to have him transferred to Germany. The Ukrainian is alleged to have been one of the divers who attached the explosive charges to the pipelines.
According to Croatian police, S. was arrested at a tourist accommodation in a resort on the southern outskirts of Pula. The same location is housing the crew of a Hollywood film production currently filming a fictional political thriller based on the Nord Stream attacks. Under US director Doug Liman, Hollywood stars Sean Penn and Adrien Brody are involved in the project.
As several media outlets reported, including Croatian public broadcaster HRT, S. is said to have been staying in Pula as part of this film crew. He was reportedly not registered at the accommodation under a false name. According to information from Der Spiegel and the British newspaper The Times, he was working as a consultant for the film production.
As ARD investigations reveal, S. had previously been employed, according to investigators, as an instructor for deep-water diving at the "Scuba Family" diving school in Kyiv. Before his diving career, he reportedly served as a soldier in the Ukrainian army.
Poland Had Refused to Extradite the Suspect
As attorney Milos further explained, the defense intends to invoke the Polish precedent in opposing extradition. S. had already been arrested there last September, likewise on the basis of a European Arrest Warrant issued by Germany. However, a court in Warsaw prohibited his extradition. He was subsequently released.
Croatia acting in a similar manner is considered unlikely. The procedure is clearly governed by European law, Interior Minister Davor Božinović said, according to HRT.
S. himself had denied before Polish journalists that he had committed crimes in Germany or blown up the pipelines. His attorney stated during the proceedings at the time that his client had not been at the Baltic Sea and had not been in the military.
