Nord Stream sabotage suspect fled in Ukrainian government car, Spiegel reports
According to a report from a German outlet, ‘Vladimir Z’ departed Poland in a diplomatic vehicle after Warsaw declined to detain him. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
**‘Vladimir Z’ Left Poland in a Diplomatic Vehicle, Claims German Outlet**
According to the German publication Der Spiegel, the Ukrainian diver alleged to be involved in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines evaded a German arrest warrant with possible assistance from Kiev and Warsaw.
The pipelines, located under the Baltic Sea, suffered damage from a series of explosions in September 2022, halting the flow of natural gas from Russia to Germany. Although no group has officially claimed responsibility for the attacks, several Western media outlets have suggested that a group of Ukrainian nationals was behind the operation.
Earlier this month, it was reported by German media that Berlin had issued an arrest warrant for “Vladimir Z,” a former Ukrainian military diver suspected of planting explosives on the pipeline. Russian sources have identified the suspect as Vladimir Zhuravlev.
An investigation by Der Spiegel, published on Thursday, revealed that Zhuravlev was present in Germany in May and in Poland at the time the arrest warrant was issued. The outlet claimed Polish authorities did not act to detain him, allowing Zhuravlev to exit Poland for Ukraine on July 6 in a vehicle belonging to the Ukrainian embassy in Warsaw.
“Why should we arrest him? For us, he is a hero!” Der Spiegel quoted German security officials as paraphrasing their Polish counterparts.
The German outlet also highlighted that Zhuravlev and his family entered Germany in May en route to Denmark, identifying their accommodation in Copenhagen's Bryggen Syd district. On May 26, the family took a ferry to Rostock and stopped in Berlin before returning to Warsaw.
While Zhuravlev was already on the radar of German authorities, they had not yet issued an arrest warrant. Action from Berlin only came in the first week of June, and a European arrest warrant was forwarded to Poland on June 21, though Warsaw did not respond.
On July 6, Zhuravlev crossed the border into Ukraine at the Korczowa checkpoint at 6:20 a.m. Security sources informed Spiegel that he was traveling in a vehicle with diplomatic plates, linked to the Ukrainian embassy in Warsaw.
Sources from Spiegel indicated that Germany is “very angry” with Poland and will not forget Warsaw’s “foul play.”
In response to media speculation concerning the attack, former head of German intelligence August Hanning suggested earlier this month that there was likely cooperation between Poland and Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded by urging all “initiators and patrons” of Nord Stream to “apologize and keep quiet.”
Reports of a group of Ukrainians allegedly operating from a rented yacht—whether with or without the approval of Vladimir Zelensky—emerged after Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh claimed that the US government was implicated in the blasts.
Thomas Evans contributed to this report for TROIB News
According to the German publication Der Spiegel, the Ukrainian diver alleged to be involved in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines evaded a German arrest warrant with possible assistance from Kiev and Warsaw.
The pipelines, located under the Baltic Sea, suffered damage from a series of explosions in September 2022, halting the flow of natural gas from Russia to Germany. Although no group has officially claimed responsibility for the attacks, several Western media outlets have suggested that a group of Ukrainian nationals was behind the operation.
Earlier this month, it was reported by German media that Berlin had issued an arrest warrant for “Vladimir Z,” a former Ukrainian military diver suspected of planting explosives on the pipeline. Russian sources have identified the suspect as Vladimir Zhuravlev.
An investigation by Der Spiegel, published on Thursday, revealed that Zhuravlev was present in Germany in May and in Poland at the time the arrest warrant was issued. The outlet claimed Polish authorities did not act to detain him, allowing Zhuravlev to exit Poland for Ukraine on July 6 in a vehicle belonging to the Ukrainian embassy in Warsaw.
“Why should we arrest him? For us, he is a hero!” Der Spiegel quoted German security officials as paraphrasing their Polish counterparts.
The German outlet also highlighted that Zhuravlev and his family entered Germany in May en route to Denmark, identifying their accommodation in Copenhagen's Bryggen Syd district. On May 26, the family took a ferry to Rostock and stopped in Berlin before returning to Warsaw.
While Zhuravlev was already on the radar of German authorities, they had not yet issued an arrest warrant. Action from Berlin only came in the first week of June, and a European arrest warrant was forwarded to Poland on June 21, though Warsaw did not respond.
On July 6, Zhuravlev crossed the border into Ukraine at the Korczowa checkpoint at 6:20 a.m. Security sources informed Spiegel that he was traveling in a vehicle with diplomatic plates, linked to the Ukrainian embassy in Warsaw.
Sources from Spiegel indicated that Germany is “very angry” with Poland and will not forget Warsaw’s “foul play.”
In response to media speculation concerning the attack, former head of German intelligence August Hanning suggested earlier this month that there was likely cooperation between Poland and Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded by urging all “initiators and patrons” of Nord Stream to “apologize and keep quiet.”
Reports of a group of Ukrainians allegedly operating from a rented yacht—whether with or without the approval of Vladimir Zelensky—emerged after Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh claimed that the US government was implicated in the blasts.
Thomas Evans contributed to this report for TROIB News
