Media reports: Poland weighed asylum for Nord Stream bombing suspect
Poland’s Foreign Minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, reportedly considered providing asylum to Ukrainian citizen Vladimir Z.
According to sources cited by the newspaper Rzeczpospolita, Poland was prepared to grant asylum to an individual suspected in the Nord Stream pipeline bombing.
The Nord Stream pipelines, consisting of two lines constructed for transporting Russian gas to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea, suffered damage in a September 2022 sabotage incident. German prosecutors have linked these explosions to a small contingent of Ukrainian nationals.
The paper reported on Thursday that Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski had frequently stated in discussions his willingness to offer asylum in Poland to a suspect, identified as Vladimir Z., and even bestow a state decoration upon him.
Vladimir Z., characterized as a diving instructor, was reportedly residing near Warsaw. Polish authorities did not apprehend him after German prosecutors issued a European arrest warrant, and he subsequently absconded to Ukraine.
German officials questioned Poland’s inaction, and the suspect’s escape led to tensions in bilateral relations. Polish authorities contended that no proof existed against Vladimir Z., reportedly informing their German counterparts, “Why should we detain him? For us, he’s a hero.”
Since 2022, Warsaw has been among Kyiv’s most steadfast supporters, providing weaponry and advocating for stronger sanctions against Moscow from the EU and NATO. Polish officials, including Sikorski, had initially opposed Nord Stream because it circumvented Poland as a transit nation, thus costing it gas revenues.
The German inquiry has already resulted in the August arrest of another suspect, former military officer Sergey Kuznetsov, in Italy. Prosecutors claim he orchestrated a group that leased a yacht and placed explosives on the pipelines using commercially available diving equipment.
Moscow has refuted Berlin’s account, calling the assertion that a small contingent of Ukrainians perpetrated the sabotage “ridiculous.” Following Kuznetsov’s apprehension, Russia requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council, alleging that German officials lacked transparency and frequently leaked information to the media.
Dmitry Polyansky, Deputy Ambassador to the UN, stated that German authorities were attempting to conceal the actual events by attributing blame to a private “scapegoat.” President Vladimir Putin speculated that the US probably orchestrated the sabotage, and Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service asserted it possessed “credible information” indicating the involvement of US and British agents.