In the depths of the Baltic Sea in September 2022, explosions severed the Nord Stream pipelines and, with them, a web of energy dependencies that had long bound Europe's politics together. Now, nearly four years on, a second man — a Ukrainian national arrested in Croatia — stands accused of having been among the divers who planted those charges, as German prosecutors methodically pursue a case that touches the rawest nerves of the continent's wartime alliances. The investigation forces a reckoning with a question that courts and capitals have struggled to answer cleanly: when does an act of de
Ukrainian arrested in Croatia over Nord Stream pipeline sabotage
A justified act of war, or a crime against Germany?
Mark
Why would Ukraine sabotage a pipeline that wasn't even delivering gas to them?
Mimi
Because Nord Stream 1 was delivering Russian gas to Germany, and Ukraine saw that as strengthening Russia's hand in Europe. If Germany was dependent on Russian energy, it might be reluctant to support Ukraine's defense.
Mark
But Germany is supporting Ukraine. So why would they risk that relationship by blowing up the pipeline?
Mimi
That's the tension nobody quite resolved. The operation may have happened before the full extent of German support became clear, or the people who ordered it may have calculated that the strategic benefit outweighed the diplomatic cost.
Mark
What about the Polish judge who called it a 'just' act?
Mimi
He was making a political statement, not a legal one. He was saying that if Ukraine did it, it was justified—that sabotaging Russian energy infrastructure during an invasion is a legitimate act of war. But that's not how German courts see it.
Mark
So now Germany has to prosecute Ukrainians for an act that arguably helped Germany's own energy independence?
Mimi
Exactly. Germany invested heavily in Nord Stream, believed in the economic relationship with Russia, and now has to prosecute people for destroying it—even though the destruction ultimately served German interests by breaking that dependency.
Mark
What happens if Zhuravlyov is convicted?
Mimi
He faces charges of sabotage and causing explosions. The real question is whether a German court will convict a Ukrainian for an act that, in some eyes, was part of defending Ukraine against Russian invasion.
Der Puls
- A Ukrainian man identified as Volodymyr Zhuravlyov has been arrested in Croatia, accused of physically planting the explosives that destroyed the Nord Stream pipelines in one of Europe's most consequential acts of wartime sabotage.
- His path to arrest has been anything but straightforward — a Polish judge previously refused to extradite him, declaring the act justified if Ukraine was responsible, a ruling that drew a smile from Zhuravlyov and stunned observers in the courtroom.
- A second suspect, former Ukrainian military officer Serhiy Kuznetsov, was extradited from Italy to Germany and faces trial for allegedly masterminding the operation, with evidence including explosive traces found on a yacht rented from Rostock.
- Germany has asserted jurisdiction because the pipelines terminated on its soil, but the prosecutions are generating visible diplomatic friction with Kyiv at a moment when Berlin remains one of Ukraine's most vital wartime supporters.
- Zhuravlyov now awaits extradition from Croatia and is expected to face charges of causing explosions and sabotage, as the full picture of who ordered and executed the attack remains legally and politically unresolved.
In the depths of the Baltic Sea in September 2022, explosions severed the Nord Stream pipelines and, with them, a web of energy dependencies that had long bound Europe's politics together. Now, nearly four years on, a second man — a Ukrainian national arrested in Croatia — stands accused of having been among the divers who planted those charges, as German prosecutors methodically pursue a case that touches the rawest nerves of the continent's wartime alliances. The investigation forces a reckoning with a question that courts and capitals have struggled to answer cleanly: when does an act of destruction in wartime become sabotage, and when does it become justice?
A Ukrainian national arrested in Croatia this week is accused of being one of the scuba divers who planted explosives on the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022 — an act that destroyed a critical energy artery between Russia and Germany and set off years of diplomatic and legal turbulence across Europe. German prosecutors have identified him as Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, though he is referred to in official documents only as Vladimir Z.
His arrest is the second in the case, and it follows a legally tortuous route. Detained in Poland in 2025 on a German extradition request, Zhuravlyov was released after a Polish judge ruled that if Ukraine had carried out the attack, it amounted to a justified act — a decision that visibly surprised the courtroom and prompted a smile from the suspect himself. Poland had long opposed Nord Stream, viewing it as a mechanism for Russian leverage over Germany and a project that bypassed Polish transit interests.
The first suspect, former Ukrainian military officer Serhiy Kuznetsov, was extradited from Italy to Germany and is alleged to have led the operation — organizing a team that used a yacht from Rostock to position explosives near the Danish island of Bornholm. German investigators reported finding traces of subsea explosives on the vessel. Kuznetsov has denied involvement and appeared in a Hamburg court in June.
For years, Nord Stream had been a symbol of German-Russian economic entanglement, with Germany deeply invested in the project since Angela Merkel attended its launch in 2011. Initial suspicion for the blasts fell on Russia, but evidence pointing toward Ukrainian involvement gradually surfaced, even as Kyiv has consistently denied any role. German courts have claimed jurisdiction on the grounds that the pipelines terminated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The prosecutions arrive at an uncomfortable moment: Germany remains one of Ukraine's most important wartime supporters, yet the apparent involvement of Ukrainian nationals in sabotaging European infrastructure has introduced a tension that neither government has found easy to navigate. Zhuravlyov is expected to be brought before an investigating judge following his extradition from Croatia, as the case continues to unfold with its deepest questions still unanswered.
A Ukrainian man arrested in Croatia this week stands accused of being one of the divers who planted explosives on the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022, in what has become one of the most consequential acts of sabotage in recent European history. German prosecutors say the suspect, identified only as Vladimir Z but understood to be Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, participated in the underwater dives necessary to carry out the operation. He is the second person to face charges in connection with the bombing, which destroyed a critical energy artery between Russia and Germany and has since become a source of diplomatic friction between Berlin and Kyiv.
Zhuravlyov's arrest in Croatia comes after a complicated legal journey. He was detained in Poland in 2025 on a German extradition request, but a Polish judge refused to hand him over, ruling that if Ukraine was indeed responsible for the attack, it constituted a justified act. The decision prompted visible surprise in the courtroom and a smile from Zhuravlyov himself as he was released. That refusal to extradite reflected deeper political divisions over the pipeline's significance: Poland had long opposed the Nord Stream project, arguing it made Germany dangerously dependent on Russian energy and deprived Poland of transit fees. Ukraine and the United States shared those concerns.
The other suspect in the case, former Ukrainian military officer Serhiy Kuznetsov, was arrested in Italy in August 2025 and subsequently extradited to Germany. Prosecutors allege he led the operation, organizing a team that rented a yacht from the German port of Rostock and used it to position explosives on the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Kuznetsov has denied involvement and appeared in court in Hamburg in June. German investigators, in a letter to the United Nations Security Council after the explosions, reported finding traces of subsea explosives on samples taken from the vessel.
The destruction of Nord Stream 1 crippled what had been an operational pipeline, though Nord Stream 2 had not yet entered service at the time of the attack. For years, the pipeline had been controversial—a symbol of German-Russian economic entanglement that critics said gave Moscow leverage over Berlin's energy security. Germany itself had been deeply invested in the project, providing technical expertise and political backing since its inception, with then-Chancellor Angela Merkel attending the pipeline's launch in 2011.
Initially, suspicion for the blasts fell on Russia, but evidence of Ukrainian involvement gradually emerged. Officials in Kyiv have consistently denied any role in the operation. German courts have asserted jurisdiction over the case, treating the destruction as falling within their authority because the pipelines terminated at Lubmin in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Prosecutors have also argued that the pipeline's destruction directly affected Germany's energy security and internal safety.
The arrests have strained relations between Berlin and Kyiv at a delicate moment. Germany remains one of Ukraine's most important backers in its war against Russia, yet the apparent Ukrainian involvement in sabotaging critical infrastructure has created an awkward tension. Zhuravlyov now faces charges of causing explosions and sabotage and is expected to be brought before an investigating judge following his extradition from Croatia. The case continues to unfold in German courts, with the full scope of Ukrainian involvement—if any—still contested.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The suspect participated in the necessary dives for the sabotage— German prosecutors
If Ukraine was responsible for the attack, then it was a 'just' act— Polish judge (paraphrased)
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