A man from Ukraine was apprehended in Croatia on Wednesday in connection to the underwater blasts that caused damage 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, by local authorities executing a European warrant. Prosecutors stated that Vladimir Z., a proficient scuba diver, was part of 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 under strong suspicion of collaborating in causing explosions, engaging in anti-constitutional sabotage, and destructing buildings and structures.
The arrest was welcomed by the German government, with Justice Ministry spokesperson Nicholas Limmer expressing satisfaction with the progress of the investigations into the pipeline bombings. Earlier last month, German federal prosecutors pressed charges against another individual, a former Ukrainian army officer named Serhii K., linked to the same explosions. Serhii K. was detained in Italy in August 2025 and subsequently extradited to Germany in November to face charges including causing an explosion, property damage, disrupting public service, and being an accomplice to war crimes by attacking civilian targets.
It is reported that Germany intends to proceed with the extradition of the suspect, despite facing resistance from Poland, which had previously blocked the extradition of an individual with the same name and initial. The spokesperson confirmed that the person blocked from extradition in Poland was indeed the same individual identified as Volodymyr Zhuravlov. Poland has historically opposed the Nord Stream pipelines, perceiving them as a Russian strategy to leverage their energy resources across Europe. The involvement of the U.S. and Ukraine in the incidents has been denied.
The explosions on September 26, 2022, inflicted damage on the pipelines designed to transport Russian natural gas to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea. The destruction exacerbated tensions amid the conflict in Ukraine, prompting European nations to reduce reliance on Russian energy sources in the aftermath of the Kremlin’s invasion. The blasts impacted both the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, with the former being Russia’s primary gas supply route to Germany until supplies were halted by Moscow in August 2022, and the latter remaining uncertified due to Germany’s suspension shortly before the invasion.