{
  "id": 9588086,
  "title": "Croatian court approves extradition of Nord Stream blast suspect to Germany",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/croatian-court-approves-extradition-of-nord-stream-blast-suspect-to",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-24T16:46:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3368715/croatian-court-approves-extradition-nord-stream-blast-suspect-germany"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Croatian court has given its approval for the extradition of a Ukrainian man to Germany in relation to the 2022 undersea explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines. The suspect, whose lawyer Ljubo Pavaskovic stated he would appeal the September 18 ruling, was initially arrested in August in Pula, a northern Croatian town, on a European warrant. German authorities allege that the suspect, identified only as Vladimir Z., was a trained scuba diver who helped plant explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which were situated in the Baltic Sea near Denmark's Bornholm island. The explosions, which took place on September 26, 2022, caused significant damage to the pipelines, which were intended to transport Russian natural gas to Germany. This incident further heightened tensions following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. German prosecutors had previously charged another individual, Serhii K., a former Ukrainian army officer, in connection with the same explosions, and he was extradited to Germany in November. The suspects are believed to have used a yacht, rented from a German company using false identities and intermediaries, which departed from Rostock, a German port. The explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which was Russia's primary natural gas supply route to Germany prior to Moscow severing supplies in August 2022, and also damaged Nord Stream 2, which had never been put into service due to Germany's suspension of its certification process just before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.",
  "summary": "A Croatian court has approved the extradition of a Ukrainian man who is wanted in Germany in connection with the 2022 undersea explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines, state media said on Thursday. The report from HRT Television quoted the suspect’s lawyer Ljubo Pavaskovic as saying that he will appeal the September 18 ruling. It was not immediately clear when the man could be…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Meduza (English)",
        "title": "Ukrainian man attacks people with knife at Polish monastery, killing two and injuring three",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/ukrainian-man-attacks-people-with-knife-at-polish-monastery-killing",
        "published": "2026-09-24T12:44:22.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Euromaidan Press",
        "title": "Croatia approves Ukrainian Nord Stream suspect’s extradition to Germany despite Polish refusal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/croatia-approves-ukrainian-nord-stream-suspects-extradition-to",
        "published": "2026-09-24T16:11:08.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}