A Ukrainian national was detained in Croatia in connection with the bombing of the “Nord Stream” pipelines
19 August 15:12
A Ukrainian citizen has been detained in Croatia; German law enforcement authorities suspect him of involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022. The arrest was made on the basis of a German arrest warrant. The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office reported this on August 19, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
What is known about the detainee
According to German authorities, the man was detained in the city of Pula by local police under the coordination of the Zagreb Police Directorate. The statement identifies him as Vladimir Z.
“He was detained in Pula (Croatia) by the local police department, under the coordination of the Zagreb Police Headquarters. There are strong suspicions that the accused was involved in jointly organizing an explosion, an unconstitutional act of sabotage, and the destruction of structures,” the German prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
This likely refers to Vladimir Zhuravlev, whom Germany has placed on its wanted list as part of the investigation into the sabotage of the “Nord Stream” pipelines. According to the German investigation, he may have been a member of a group that used a yacht to plant explosives on the gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
After his extradition to Germany, the detainee is to be brought before an investigating judge of the Federal Supreme Court.
“The accused will appear before an investigating judge of the Federal Supreme Court after his extradition from Croatia,” the Federal Prosecutor’s Office stated.
Zhuravlev had previously been detained in Poland
This is not the first attempt by German law enforcement to detain Zhuravlev. He was previously detained in Poland, but a Polish court refused to extradite him to Germany and lifted his pretrial detention.
Another Ukrainian whom Germany links to the “Nord Stream” case—Serhiy Kuznetsov—is currently in custody in Germany. He was detained in Italy while on vacation.
In late June 2026, the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office announced that charges had been filed against Kuznetsov. According to investigators, he and other members of the group acted as Ukrainian military personnel.
As a reminder, explosions on the “Nord Stream” gas pipelines occurred in September 2022 in the Baltic Sea. The German investigation is ongoing, and Ukrainian involvement in the operation has not been officially established by a court.
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