A Ukrainian individual was taken into custody on Wednesday in Croatia, linked to underwater blasts that resulted in damage to the Nord Stream gas pipelines connecting Russia and Germany in 2022, according to Germany’s federal prosecutor.
The individual, identified as Vladimir Z., whose surname was withheld to comply with German privacy regulations, was apprehended in Pula, Croatia, by local authorities executing a European arrest warrant.
Prosecutors stated, “Vladimir Z. is a qualified scuba diver who was involved with a group that placed explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines close to the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022.”
He is “strongly suspected of participating in explosions, anti-constitutional sabotage, and the destruction of buildings and infrastructures.”
The German government expressed its satisfaction with the arrest on Wednesday.
“We are pleased that the federal prosecutor’s office is advancing in these inquiries, as it is crucial to clarify the circumstances surrounding the pipeline explosions,” said Nicholas Limmer, spokesperson for the justice ministry, during a press briefing in Berlin.
German police in Karlsruhe escorting Serhii K., a suspect in the Nord Stream sabotage, on Nov. 28. (Thilo Schmuelgen/Reuters)
In early October, German federal prosecutors charged a former officer of the Ukrainian army concerning the same explosions.
This suspect, known only as Serhii K., was arrested in Italy in August 2025 and subsequently extradited to Germany in November. He faces accusations of causing an explosion, damaging property, disrupting public services, and being an “accomplice to war crimes” by assaulting civilian structures.
German officials have claimed that Serhii K. and others departed from the port of Rostock using a yacht rented from a German company.
Previous Arrest in Poland
Germany plans to pursue the extradition of the suspect. Poland previously blocked the extradition of an individual sharing the same name and initial last year.
A spokesperson confirmed to The Associated Press that it is indeed the same individual, identified by Polish authorities as Volodymyr Zhuravlov.
WATCH | Wall Street Journal’s Bojan Pancevski discusses the mystery (June 2026):
Poland has consistently opposed the Nord Stream pipelines, perceiving them as a means for Russia to leverage its extensive energy resources across Europe. Prime Minister Donald Tusk remarked during Zhuravlov’s extradition hearing that it would not align with Poland’s interests to surrender him.
The reason for Zhuravlov’s departure from Poland, despite the existing arrest warrant, remains unclear.
“Volodymyr was aware that the ruling only applies within Polish territory,” his lawyer, Tymoteusz Paprocki, informed the AP, adding that Zhuravlov’s wife was equally surprised by her husband’s detention in Croatia.
Denials of Involvement from U.S. and Ukraine
On September 26, 2022, underwater explosions damaged pipelines designed to transport Russian natural gas to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea.
This damage heightened tensions surrounding the Ukraine conflict as European nations sought to reduce their reliance on Russian energy following the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion.
The explosions compromised the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which had been Russia’s primary natural gas supply route to Germany until supplies were halted in August 2022. Additionally, they inflicted damage on Nord Stream 2, which never went operational since Germany suspended its certification process shortly before the Russian invasion.
Russia has accused the U.S. of orchestrating the explosions, an allegation that Washington has denied. The pipelines have long been criticized by the U.S. and some of its allies, who warned that they exacerbated European dependence on Russian gas.
The Ukrainian government has also denied any involvement in the incident.