Croatia arrests Ukrainian diver suspected in Nord Stream pipeline sabotage

Croatian police have arrested a Ukrainian national, identified as Vladimir Z., in connection with the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. The arrest occurred in the city of Pula, based on a European arrest warrant issued by a German Federal Court judge on June 3, 2024.

Vladimir Z. is suspected by German authorities of causing explosions, sabotage, and destruction of critical infrastructure. Investigators allege he was a professional diver who placed explosive devices on the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm on September 26, 2022. The explosions damaged three of the four lines of the Nord Stream pipelines, which were built to transport Russian natural gas to Germany.

German prosecutors have not confirmed if the arrested man is the same individual previously identified in Poland, who was released by a court there. According to German authorities, Vladimir Z. belonged to a group allegedly led by Serhii K., a former Ukrainian army officer arrested in Italy about a year ago and handed over to Germany. Serhii K. faces separate charges, including complicity in an attack on civilian infrastructure, causing explosions, and disrupting public services, allegedly orchestrated on behalf of Ukrainian state entities to halt Russian gas flows and cut Moscow's war funding.