Polish authorities' delayed actions on Nord Stream bombing suspect
Polish authorities did not apprehend Volodymyr Z. for two weeks—the diver who, according to German investigators, is behind the explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines. During this time, only "operational actions" were carried out. Z. left for Ukraine at the beginning of July.
The German Federal Prosecutor issued an arrest warrant for Volodymyr Z. He is a Ukrainian diver who, according to investigators, was involved in the bombing of the Nord Stream pipelines.
According to German investigators, Volodymyr Z., along with Yevgen and Svitlana U., set off from the port of Rostock on the yacht Andromeda in early September 2022 and planted explosive charges on the pipelines.
Volodymyr Z.'s last known residence was Pruszków, near Warsaw. For this reason, on June 21, the Germans requested Polish investigators arrest and extradite him. The European Arrest Warrant was registered after three days. But on July 6, Volodymyr Z. left Poland for Ukraine. He was not apprehended because German investigators did not enter the European Arrest Warrant into the Schengen information system. It is unclear why the Germans did not do so.
Authorities conducted "operational actions"
So what did Polish investigators do during these two weeks? The authorities conducted "operational actions."
"Apprehension actions were not taken; operational actions, the status of which is classified, were ordered," said Piotr Skiba, a spokesperson for the Warsaw prosecutor's office.
He added that operational actions precede apprehension activities. Therefore, the entire operation was aimed at the "safe execution of the EAW."
The sources do not rule out Volodymyr Z. not being at the specified address in Pruszków. The location remained under surveillance, and efforts were made to locate him in Poland.
Polish investigation points to a different lead
The Polish prosecutor's office is conducting its own investigation into the Nord Stream pipeline explosions. So far, its findings do not confirm the "Ukrainian" lead but point to a "Russian" one. However, no charges have been brought against anyone yet.
Investigators are also examining divers from the Andromeda yacht, which was moored in Kołobrzeg. The expedition participants had Bulgarian passports, and the prosecutor's office is checking whether they were fakes.
The German prosecutor's office has not requested the arrest of Yevgen and Svitlana U., the remaining divers from Kyiv.
