A man from Ukraine was apprehended in Croatia on Wednesday in connection with the underwater blasts that caused destruction to the Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia and Germany in 2022, as confirmed by Germany’s federal prosecutor. The individual, identified as Vladimir Z., was taken into custody in Pula, Croatia, under a European warrant executed by local law enforcement. Prosecutors stated that Vladimir Z., a certified scuba diver, was 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, leading to suspicions of involvement in explosions, sabotage, and property destruction.
The arrest was positively acknowledged by the German government, emphasizing the importance of resolving the pipeline bombings. Earlier, German federal prosecutors had pressed charges against another Ukrainian suspect, Serhii K., a former army officer, in connection with the same incidents. Serhii K. was apprehended in Italy in August 2025 and subsequently extradited to Germany in November on charges related to explosion, property damage, disruption of public services, and complicity in war crimes by targeting civilian infrastructure.
Regarding the extradition process, Germany is planning to pursue the extradition of the suspect, despite Poland’s previous refusal to extradite an individual with a similar name. Polish authorities had identified the individual as Volodymyr Zhuravlov, the same person who was recently arrested in Croatia. Poland’s stance against the Nord Stream pipelines, considering them a Russian strategy to exert influence across Europe with energy resources, has been a longstanding issue. The involvement of the suspect in the sabotage activities raised concerns, especially given the tensions surrounding the Ukraine conflict and European reliance on Russian energy sources.
Allegations of U.S. involvement in the explosions have been denied by both the U.S. and Ukrainian governments. The series of blasts on September 26, 2022, not only disrupted the gas flow from Russia to Germany but also exacerbated geopolitical tensions amid Europe’s efforts to reduce dependency on Russian gas following the conflict in Ukraine. The damaged Nord Stream 1 pipeline, previously a crucial route for Russian gas supplies to Germany, along with the incomplete Nord Stream 2 project, underscored the vulnerability of energy infrastructure to geopolitical conflicts.
The suspicion surrounding the arrests and the geopolitical implications of the pipeline sabotage continue to draw international attention, highlighting the complex dynamics of energy security and geopolitical rivalries in the region.