An individual from Ukraine was apprehended on Wednesday in Croatia in connection with the underwater blasts that caused damage to the Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia and Germany in 2022, as stated by Germany’s federal prosecutor.
Vladimir Z., whose surname was not disclosed in compliance with German privacy regulations, was taken into custody in Pula, Croatia, by local law enforcement officers executing a European arrest warrant.
<p"Vladimir Z. is a certified diver who was part of a group that placed explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022," prosecutors stated.
He is under strong suspicion of collectively orchestrating explosions, engaging in anti-constitutional sabotage, and causing damage to buildings and structures.
The arrest was welcomed by the German government on Wednesday.
“We are pleased that progress is being made by the federal prosecutor’s office in these inquiries, as it is crucial to thoroughly investigate the pipeline bombings,” remarked justice ministry spokesperson Nicholas Limmer during a press briefing in Berlin.
Last month, German federal prosecutors laid charges against a former Ukrainian military officer related to the same explosions.
The individual, known only as Serhii K., was arrested in Italy in August 2025 and subsequently extradited to Germany in November. He is facing charges of explosion initiation, property destruction, disruption of public services, and complicity in war crimes by targeting civilian facilities.
Authorities in Germany assert that Serhii K. and accomplices departed from the port of Rostock using a yacht rented from a German company.
Suspect Previously Detained in Poland
Efforts are underway to extradite the suspect. Poland had previously rejected the extradition request for an individual with the same name and initial last year.
A spokesperson confirmed to The Associated Press that it was the same person, identified by Polish authorities as Volodymyr Zhuravlov.
WATCH | Wall Street Journal’s Bojan Pancevski on the mystery (June 2026):
Poland has been a vocal critic of the Nord Stream pipelines, perceiving them as a Russian maneuver to exert influence across Europe by leveraging its substantial energy reserves. Prime Minister Donald Tusk, during Zhuravlov’s extradition hearing, expressed Poland’s disinterest in handing him over.
It remains unclear why Zhuravlov departed Poland despite the existing arrest warrant against him.
“Volodymyr was aware that the ruling was only applicable within Poland’s jurisdiction,” mentioned his Polish counsel, Tymoteusz Paprocki, to the AP, highlighting that Zhuravlov’s wife was taken aback by her husband’s detention in Croatia.
U.S. and Ukraine Deny Involvement
On September 26, 2022, the subsea explosions caused damage to pipelines constructed to transport Russian natural gas to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea.
The destruction heightened tensions amid the conflict in Ukraine, prompting European nations to reduce reliance on Russian energy sources following the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion.
The blasts ruptured the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which was Russia’s primary gas supply route to Germany until Moscow halted supplies in August 2022. They also inflicted harm on Nord Stream 2, which was not operational as Germany had suspended its certification process shortly before Russia’s invasion.
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