German federal prosecutors confirmed on Wednesday (December 11) that another Ukrainian citizen accused of involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions has been arrested in Croatia and will be extradited to Germany. The suspect, identified as Vladimir Z., is a former professional diver.
The German government welcomed the arrest. Justice Ministry spokesman Nicholas Limmer said in Berlin: “We are pleased that the federal prosecutor’s office is making progress in its investigations, because it is important that the pipeline bombing is clarified.”
Suspect Vladimir Z. was arrested in the city of Pula, Croatia, under a European arrest warrant executed by local police. Prosecutors allege he is a trained diver who belonged to a group led by Serhii K., a former Ukrainian military officer, which placed explosives to sabotage the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipeline systems.
Earlier, in July 2024, German prosecutors formally charged Serhii K. with masterminding the blasts, allegedly acting on the orders of Ukrainian state bodies. Serhii K. was arrested in Italy in August 2025 and transferred to Germany in November 2025. He denies any involvement in the explosions near Denmark’s Bornholm island.
The Ukrainian government said it lacks sufficient information to comment in detail on Germany’s allegations.
The explosions in September 2022 damaged Nord Stream 1 – a key route for Russian gas exports to Europe – and also Nord Stream 2, a line that had never entered operation. At the time, Russia had just halted gas supplies via Nord Stream 1, blaming Western sanctions and technical issues, while Europe accused Moscow of weaponizing energy supplies.
Russia and Western countries have called the blasts deliberate sabotage. Poland has long opposed the Nord Stream pipelines, viewing them as a Russian scheme to use vast energy resources to pressure Europe.
German prosecutors maintain that the attack’s purpose was to permanently halt gas transport through the pipelines, thereby preventing Russia from using gas revenues to fund its war. German courts have ruled the case falls under their jurisdiction because the damaged pipelines end in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and the damage affects Germany’s energy security and domestic safety.
