Ukrainian Domestic — 2026-08-22

Second Ukrainian Suspect Detained in Croatia Over Nord Stream Pipeline Sabotage

BLUFCroatia's execution of the European warrant, after Poland's refusal, makes Vladimir Z.'s extradition to Germany likely within three months, compounding legal pressure on Kyiv to address command accountability for the Nord Stream operation.

German federal prosecutors announced the arrest of a second Ukrainian national, identified only as Vladimir Z. under German privacy rules, on Wednesday in Pula, Croatia, by local police acting on a European arrest warrant 1234. Prosecutors describe him as a trained scuba diver who belonged to the group led by Serhii K. that allegedly placed explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines near Bornholm in September 2022, with Euronews reporting prosecutors' statement that he personally took part in the dives 35. Vladimir Z. is expected to be extradited from Croatia to face an investigating judge at Germany's Federal Court of Justice 35. CBC reports the suspect was previously arrested in Poland under the same identity, Volodymyr Zhuravlov, but Polish authorities declined to extradite him last year; how he came to be in Croatia is unclear 1. German prosecutors state the alleged operation's aim was to permanently disrupt gas deliveries through the pipelines and deny Russia revenue to finance the war in Ukraine 23. Ukraine's government has denied involvement in the sabotage 15.

Analysis
German prosecutors' second arrest accelerates extradition of Vladimir Z., since Croatia, unlike Poland, has already executed the European warrant rather than blocking transfer. Extradition to Germany is likely within three months. Low confidence reflects reliance on a single primary prosecutorial statement corroborated only by wire pickups rather than independent court or diplomatic reporting. The case builds a second courtroom track alongside Serhii K.'s prosecution, sharpening pressure on Kyiv to explain command relationships even as it denies state involvement.
7 sources
  1. Germany says 2nd suspect in Nord Stream pipeline sabotage arrested in Croatia - CBC News
  2. Second Ukrainian national arrested over 2022 Nord Stream pipeline blast - Al Jazeera
  3. Second Ukrainian arrested in connection with Nord Stream pipeline explosions - Euronews
  4. Second Nord Stream Sabotage Suspect Arrested in Croatia - Bloomberg
  5. Ukrainian Diver Detained Over Nord Stream Pipeline Blasts - Worthy News
  6. Arrest in Relation to the Suspected Sabotage Against the "Nord Stream" Gas Pipelines - Der Generalbundesanwalt (German Federal Prosecutor's Office)
  7. Arrest in Relation to the Suspected Sabotage Against the "Nord Stream" Gas Pipelines - Der Generalbundesanwalt (German Federal Prosecutor's Office)

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