On Thursday, a Croatian judge ordered the detention of a Ukrainian citizen who is wanted in Germany in connection with the 2022 underwater explosions that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines. AP reported this, citing the Ukrainian's lawyer, according to UNN.
Details
The man was arrested on Wednesday in the northern Croatian city of Pula under a European arrest warrant. On Thursday, he was questioned by prosecutors, who requested his detention to begin the extradition procedure, state broadcaster HRT reported.
The man's lawyer, Matija Milos, said they would appeal the detention decision, the HINA news agency reported. It is not yet clear how long the extradition procedure to Croatia may take.
German prosecutors said the suspect was a "trained diver" and belonged to a group of people who "planted explosives" on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea near the Danish island of Bornholm.
Nord Stream case: another suspect arrested in Croatia19.08.26, 13:05
Context
The underwater explosions on September 26, 2022, damaged pipelines built to transport Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea. The damage heightened tensions over the Russian-Ukrainian war, as European countries seek to abandon Russian energy sources following the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of the neighboring country on February 24, 2022.
The German prosecutor's office identified the suspect only as Volodymyr Zh. However, a representative confirmed to the Associated Press that this was the same person who was arrested in Poland last year but later released after a Polish court refused to extradite him to Germany. Polish authorities identified him as Volodymyr Zhuravlyov.
Poland has long opposed the Nord Stream pipelines, viewing them as an attempt by Russia to use its vast energy resources to gain influence in Europe.
Last month, Germany's federal prosecutor's office charged a former Ukrainian army officer in connection with the same explosions.
Serhii K. was detained in August 2025 in an Italian village, where police officers searched the bungalow in which he lived with his family. In November, he was extradited to Germany.