A man from Ukraine was taken into custody 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 per Germany’s federal prosecutor. The individual, identified as Vladimir Z., was apprehended 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 placed explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022. He is suspected of participating in causing explosions, engaging in anti-constitutional sabotage, and destroying buildings and structures.
The German government expressed satisfaction with the arrest, emphasizing the importance of clarifying the pipeline bombings. Justice ministry spokesperson Nicholas Limmer commended the progress made by the federal prosecutor’s office in the investigations.
In a separate incident, German federal prosecutors pressed charges against a former Ukrainian military officer, Serhii K., in relation to the same explosions. Serhii K. was arrested in Italy in August 2025 and later extradited to Germany in November of the same year. He faces charges including causing an explosion, property damage, disruption of public service, and complicity in war crimes by targeting civilian entities.
German authorities alleged that Serhii K. and accomplices departed from the port of Rostock using a yacht rented from a German company. Germany is seeking the extradition of the suspect, despite Poland previously blocking the extradition of an individual with the same name and initial.
Poland’s opposition to the Nord Stream pipelines, which it views as a means for Russia to exert influence across Europe using its energy resources, has been long-standing. The extradition of the suspect, identified as Volodymyr Zhuravlov by Polish authorities, was met with resistance due to Poland’s national interests.
The explosions that occurred on September 26, 2022, damaged pipelines constructed to transport Russian natural gas to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea. These incidents exacerbated tensions amidst Europe’s efforts to reduce reliance on Russian energy sources following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has accused the United States of orchestrating the explosions, an accusation that Washington has refuted. The U.S. and some of its allies had criticized the pipelines, warning that they heightened Europe’s dependence on Russian gas. The Ukrainian government has also denied involvement in the sabotage plot.