Ukrainian arrested in Pula on suspicion over Nord Stream sabotage
German federal prosecutors say Volodymyr Z. was part of the team that placed explosive devices near Bornholm in September 2022.
On 19 August 2026 a Ukrainian national was arrested in Pula, Croatia, on suspicion of involvement in the underwater explosions that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022, German federal prosecutors announced.
The arrest was carried out by Croatian police on the basis of a European arrest warrant in an operation coordinated with the Police Directorate in Zagreb. After extradition from Croatia, the suspect is expected to be brought before an investigative judge at the Federal Supreme Court in Karlsruhe.
Charges and alleged role
Prosecutors say there is serious suspicion that the detainee and others caused explosions to the gas pipelines, committing unconstitutional sabotage and destroying an infrastructure object. The suspect, identified as Volodymyr Z. (surname withheld under German privacy laws), is described as a trained diver who took part in the dives used to place explosive devices.
According to the arrest warrant issued by the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office in Karlsruhe, Volodymyr Z. belonged to a group gathered around Serhij K., who is the subject of a separate proceeding. The group is alleged to have placed explosive devices on Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 in September 2022 near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea.
Prosecutors further say the team used a sailboat that sailed from the German port of Rostock, which had been rented from a German company through an intermediary using forged identity documents. The explosive devices detonated on 26 September 2022 and caused severe damage to both pipelines.
Photo: DPA
