German authorities announced the arrest of a Ukrainian man in Croatia on Wednesday in connection with the underwater explosions that targeted the Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia and Germany in 2022. The suspect, identified as Vladimir Z., was apprehended in Pula, Croatia, based on a European warrant. According to prosecutors, Vladimir Z., a proficient scuba diver, was involved in a group that planted explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022. He is alleged to have participated in causing explosions, anti-constitutional sabotage, and destruction of infrastructure.

The German government expressed satisfaction with the arrest, emphasizing the importance of resolving the pipeline bombings. In a separate incident, German federal prosecutors recently pressed charges against another individual, Serhii K., a former Ukrainian army officer, for his role in the same explosions. Serhii K. was detained in Italy in August 2025 and extradited to Germany in November on charges including causing an explosion, damaging property, disrupting public services, and complicity in war crimes by attacking civilian targets.

Germany intends to seek the extradition of Serhii K., who was previously detained in Poland but had extradition blocked due to concerns raised by Polish authorities. The suspect was identified by Polish officials as Volodymyr Zhuravlov. Poland has historically opposed the Nord Stream pipelines, viewing them as a Russian attempt to exert influence across Europe. Both the U.S. and Ukraine have refuted any involvement in the pipeline sabotage, with Russia accusing the U.S. of orchestrating the explosions, a claim denied by Washington. The incident heightened tensions amid European efforts to reduce reliance on Russian energy sources in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.