Ukrainian national Vladimir Z., who was wanted in connection with the investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, was arrested in the Croatian coastal city of Pula.
Germany's Federal Prosecutor General's Office said the arrest was carried out under a European arrest warrant issued by Germany. Vladimir Z. will remain in custody in Croatia until he is extradited to Germany, after which he will appear before an investigating judge.
Blasts in the Baltic Sea disabled three pipelines
German prosecutors allege that trained diver Vladimir Z. worked with a team that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines carrying Russian natural gas to Germany in the Baltic Sea.
Underwater explosions in September 2022 disabled three of the four Nord Stream pipelines. Direct natural gas imports from Russia to Germany effectively ceased after the blasts. The arrest in Pula was the second major arrest in the investigation.
After the arrest in Italy
Vladimir Z.'s capture came after the extradition to Germany of Serhii K., the other main suspect, who was arrested in Italy in 2025. The trial of former Ukrainian serviceman Serhii K. is scheduled to begin this autumn at the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg.
German investigators allege that Serhii K., a former official of Ukraine's Security Service, led a seven-member team comprising divers, support personnel, a medical worker and a captain. Prosecutors allege that the team used forged documents to rent the sailing yacht Andromeda and used the vessel as an operational base.
Kyiv denies the allegations
The Ukrainian government rejects allegations that it was involved in the Nord Stream sabotage. Some media outlets have alleged that the operation was directed by then-army chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi without the knowledge of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
