(MENAFN- UkrinForm) This was reported to Ukrinform by the law firm representing the Ukrainian's interests.

“Attorney Tymoteusz Paprocki has filed an appeal against the decision of the Warsaw District Court to detain Volodymyr Zh. for 40 days on suspicion of involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines. The defense is currently awaiting the scheduling of the appeal hearing on the preventive measure, which will be reviewed by the Warsaw Court of Appeal,” the law firm told the agency.

The defense of the Ukrainian citizen emphasized that it would seek to ensure that Volodymyr Zh. faces Polish justice while remaining at liberty, rather than in pre-trial detention.

The law firm also reported that the Warsaw District Court is expected to soon set the date of the hearing regarding the possible extradition of the Ukrainian citizen to Germany.

In addition, the law firm appealed to the public and the media to maintain prudence, objectivity, and respect for the principle of the presumption of innocence.

“Mr. Volodymyr Zh. deserves fair treatment - not as a pawn in an international game, but as a person, a citizen, a husband, and a father,” the defense stressed.

As reported earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that the extradition of Volodymyr Zh. from Poland to Germany would not be in Warsaw's interest.

“Undoubtedly, bringing charges or extraditing this citizen to another country is not in the interest of Poland or in line with a basic sense of decency,” Tusk emphasized.

He added that the construction of Nord Stream 2 had been carried out contrary to the interests of all of Europe. According to him, the problem for Europe is not the sabotage itself, but the pipeline's construction.

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From our point of view, the only people who should feel ashamed and remain silent about Nord Stream 2 are those who decided to build it, Tusk underscored.

He also added that anyone in Poland claiming that there were previous governments or serious politicians who supported the construction of Nord Stream 2 is lying and harming Poland's reputation.

As reported by Ukrinform, the Warsaw District Court extended by 40 days the temporary detention of Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Zh., who is suspected of involvement in the Nord Stream sabotage.

Earlier, on October 1, the Warsaw District Court, at the request of the prosecution, decided to impose a seven-day temporary detention on Volodymyr Zh., suspected of involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, to secure the procedure for his extradition to Germany.

The man was wanted under a European Arrest Warrant issued by a German court. The lawyer representing Volodymyr Zh. confirmed that his client had been detained in Poland on September 30. He did not resist arrest or attempt to hide, maintaining that he is innocent.

In August, German investigators identified seven individuals who, in their view, carried out the Nord Stream explosions. One of them was detained in Italy a few days after being identified; another was reportedly a Ukrainian serviceman who likely died in the war. Germany issued arrest warrants for five Ukrainian citizens suspected of involvement in the sabotage.

The Ukrainian citizen detained in Italy, suspected by the German Prosecutor's Office of coordinating the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, denied his involvement during the court proceedings.

In late September 2022, explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines near the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea caused gas leaks at four locations within the exclusive economic zones of Denmark and Sweden. Russia accused Ukraine and the United States of the sabotage.

The Ukrainian authorities and the Polish side denied any involvement in the explosions.

Illustrative photo: Freepik

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