Croatia detains second suspect in Nord Stream pipeline sabotage case
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Croatian police detained Ukrainian national Vladimir Z. in Pula on Wednesday under a European arrest warrant, German federal prosecutors said. Prosecutors are seeking his extradition and said he is strongly suspected of jointly causing the September 2022 explosions that disabled the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines.
Key Facts
- The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office said Vladimir Z. is strongly suspected of jointly causing the explosions that disabled Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 in September 2022.
- Prosecutors described the plot as aimed at permanently disrupting gas deliveries and preventing Moscow from using gas revenue to finance its military operations.
- In September 2022 the group chartered a yacht in the German port of Rostock using intermediaries and forged documents, and Vladimir Z. took part in deep-water dives near the Danish island of Bornholm to attach explosive devices to the pipelines.
- German prosecutors filed charges against Ukrainian Sergey K. in the Hamburg Higher Regional Court on 30 June.
- Russia's General Prosecutor's Office opened a case of international terrorism over the pipeline explosions.
Arrest in Pula
Croatian police detained Ukrainian national Vladimir Z. in Pula on Wednesday under a European arrest warrant issued by German federal prosecutors. A trained scuba diver, he is strongly suspected of jointly causing the explosions, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office said. German prosecutors are pursuing his extradition from Croatia. He was previously detained in Poland in September 2025 and was released after Germany's extradition request was turned down. Another Ukrainian suspect was arrested in Italy last year.
The Sabotage Operation
The explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines occurred on 26 September 2022. Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 were built to carry Russian gas to Germany and other European countries. Both pipelines were damaged by the blasts and rendered inoperable, and Nord Stream 2 had not yet entered service. Investigators say the group chartered a sailing yacht in the German port of Rostock in September 2022 through intermediaries and forged documents. Vladimir Z. took part in deep-water dives near Bornholm and attached explosive devices to the pipeline strings.
Prosecution and Reactions
German federal prosecutors filed charges against Ukrainian Sergey K. in the Hamburg Higher Regional Court on 30 June. Vladimir Z. was part of a group formed around the separately prosecuted Sergey K., the prosecutor's office said. Russia's General Prosecutor's Office opened a case of international terrorism over the blasts. Pipeline operator Nord Stream AG described the damage to the pipelines as unprecedented and said repair timelines could not be estimated.
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Croatia detains second suspect in Nord Stream pipeline sabotage case
