Russia-Ukraine Ties Up in Croatia as Suspect Arrested Over Nord

Three of the four Nord Stream pipelines were ruptured in a shocking act of sabotage that has sent shockwaves through the global energy market.

A Ukrainian man has been arrested in Croatia on suspicion of taking part in the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany, according to German prosecutors.

The suspect is alleged to have participated in the necessary dives for the sabotage, and his extradition from Croatia is now being pursued

Prosecutors identified the man only as trained scuba diver Vladimir Z, however he is understood to be Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, who was arrested in Poland in 2025 over the undersea plot.

In that case, a Polish judge refused a German extradition request, arguing that if Ukraine was responsible for the attack, then it was a 'just' act.

Zhuravlyov was then released, prompting a ripple of surprise from the crowd in court and a smile from the man in the dock.

The other suspect in the case is former Ukrainian military officer Serhiy Kuznetsov. He was arrested in Italy in August 2025 and later extradited to Germany where he is set to face trial.

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Prosecutors allege Kuznetsov led a team that used a yacht rented at Rostock in Germany to plant explosives on the pipelines close to the Danish Baltic Sea island of Bornholm.

Although the Nord Stream 1 pipeline was in operation at the time, Nord Stream 2 had yet to go into service.

After his planned extradition from Croatia, they say he will be brought before an investigating judge to face charges of causing explosions and sabotage.

Blame for the blasts, which crippled a long-controversial energy supply line from Russia to Germany, initially focused on Moscow until signs of Ukrainian involvement began to emerge.

Officials in Kyiv have repeatedly denied any role.

Poland was always been a vocal critic of the pipeline project with Russia, arguing it made Berlin too dependent on Moscow. The route also deprived Poland of transit fees for the gas.

Ukraine and the US were also longstanding opponents of the pipelines.