In brief
A Ukrainian diver suspected of planting explosives on the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline has been arrested in Croatia, the latest development in a multi‑country investigation that began with the 2022 explosions. German prosecutors say the suspect—known as Volodymyr Zhuravlyov—was part of a scuba‑diver team that infiltrated Baltic waters, a claim Berlin has been pursuing via European Arrest Warrants. The arrest underscores growing friction between Kyiv and Berlin over responsibility for the sabotage, while Polish courts have previously blocked extradition by citing Ukraine’s alleged role. The case brings into focus the strategic importance of the Nord Stream transmission line and the broader geopolitical stakes of energy security in Europe.
Ukrainian diver arrested in Croatia tied to 2022 Nord Stream gas pipeline blasts.
Croatian police detained Volodymyr Zhuravlyov—known to German prosecutors as the trained scuba diver who allegedly helped plant explosives on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in September 2022—after operating in Croatian territorial waters. Berlin has hunted the suspect since the explosions crippled a key energy supply route from Russia to Germany, and German courts have formally requested extradition under an EU Arrest Warrant.
This arrest follows a German investigation that identifies two men involved in the plot: Zhuravlyov and former Ukrainian officer Serhiy Kuznetsov, who was recently extradited from Italy. Kuznetsov denies responsibility, but prosecutors claim he led a team that used a rented yacht near the Danish island of Bornholm to plant devices close to the pipeline.
The move is expected to intensify diplomatic tensions. Kyiv has repeatedly denied any Ukrainian involvement, while Poland, a long‑time critic of the pipeline, has rejected prior extradition requests, arguing that if Ukraine were complicit, the attacks might be viewed as a “just” action from a legal perspective.
German authorities have argued that the sabotage of Nord Stream 1 falls under German jurisdiction because the pipe terminates in the German state of Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern, and prosecutors claim the explosions impacted Germany’s energy security and public safety.
Following the arrest, Croatian officials say Zhuravlyov will stand before an investigating judge in the near future to face charges of causing the explosions and sabotage, before the case is potentially handed over to German courts for trial.
