German authorities announced that a Ukrainian man was apprehended in Croatia on Wednesday in connection with underwater explosions that caused damage to the Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia and Germany in 2022. The man, identified as Vladimir Z., was taken into custody in Pula, Croatia, under a European warrant. The individual, described as a skilled scuba diver, was allegedly part of a group that planted explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022. Charges against him include causing explosions, sabotage, and destruction of property.
The arrest was met with approval from the German government, with the Justice Ministry spokesperson Nicholas Limmer expressing satisfaction with the progress made in the investigation. Earlier last month, German federal prosecutors pressed charges against another individual, Serhii K., a former Ukrainian army officer, linked to the same explosions. Serhii K. was arrested in Italy in August 2025 and later extradited to Germany to face charges related to the pipeline sabotage incident.
It was revealed that Poland had previously blocked the extradition of a suspect with a similar name and initial. The individual, identified by Polish authorities as Volodymyr Zhuravlov, was confirmed to be the same person in custody in Croatia. Poland’s opposition to the Nord Stream pipelines, citing Russian energy leverage concerns, played a role in the extradition issue. The U.S. and Ukraine have denied any involvement in the pipeline explosions that occurred in September 2022, causing significant damage and raising geopolitical tensions amidst the Ukraine conflict and European energy dependency issues. Russia has accused the U.S. of orchestrating the blasts, a claim strongly refuted by Washington.