Tusk says Germany should not prosecute Nord Stream sabotage suspect

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said Germany should not prosecute suspects accused of sabotaging the Nord Stream pipelines, arguing that those who built the Russian gas links “should be ashamed, not those who disabled them.”

His comments followed the arrest in Croatia on Wednesday of a Ukrainian suspect, identified by German prosecutors as Vladimir Z., under a European Arrest Warrant issued by Germany. He had previously been detained in Poland in September 2025, but a Warsaw court refused to extradite him and ordered his release the following month.

Asked on Thursday, August 20, whether he still believed the suspect should not face criminal liability, Tusk said his position had not changed.

Tusk said Poland had opposed the Nord Stream 2 project for years and had done everything possible to prevent its construction, warning that it would increase Europe’s dependence on Russian energy.

“Germany had a different opinion at the time. They changed their mind, but too late,” he said.

He added: “But Germany should certainly not prosecute those who, in a situation where their country has been attacked, take one action or another.

“I will not change my mind here, and I believe that those who built this pipeline should be ashamed, not those who disabled it.”

Vladimir Z. denies involvement and says he was in Ukraine when the explosions occurred. German federal prosecutors accuse him of jointly causing an explosion, anti-constitutional sabotage and the destruction of structures. They allege he was a trained scuba diver who belonged to a group that planted explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines near Denmark’s Bornholm island.

The pipelines, built to carry Russian gas directly to Germany through the Baltic Sea, faced years of opposition from Poland and other Central and Eastern European countries over concerns about European energy dependence on Russia and Moscow’s influence.

Explosions in September 2022, seven months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, ruptured three of the four Nord Stream 1 and 2 lines. No one has claimed responsibility. Kyiv denies state involvement.

German prosecutors say the alleged attack was intended to permanently stop gas deliveries and deprive Russia of revenue for its war against Ukraine.

A second Ukrainian, former military officer Serhii K., has also been charged with allegedly leading the operation. Arrested in Italy in August 2025 and transferred to Germany in November, he was charged in July with orchestrating the blasts while allegedly acting for Ukrainian state entities. He denies involvement.

By Tamilla Hasanova