On August 27, Croatian authorities arrested Ukrainian diver Volodymyr Zhuravlev, a suspect in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, at the set of a Hollywood film being produced in Zagreb. The arrest occurred while Zhuravlev was serving as an advisor for the film Snake Island, a production that recreates the very incident he is accused of being involved in.
Zhuravlev, a Ukrainian citizen, is a professional diver and diving instructor with ties to a diving school in Kyiv. In German prosecution documents, he is often referred to as Vladimir Z., in line with identity protection rules. German media reported that Zhuravlev evaded an arrest warrant in Poland in 2024 and fled to Ukraine. A Polish court had previously refused to execute a European arrest warrant issued by Germany, arguing that Germany lacked jurisdiction and that the Nord Stream sabotage could be considered a legitimate act by Ukraine in its defensive war.
It remains unclear whether Zhuravlev was in Croatia without notifying local authorities. According to Germany's federal prosecutor, Croatian police detained him under a European arrest warrant. Zhuravlev's lawyers are expected to seek to prevent his extradition to Germany. His defense attorney in Poland, Tymoteusz Paprocki, told The Guardian that if a Croatian court hears the case, it could lead to a ruling on an issue already settled in another EU member state.
The Nord Stream pipeline system, consisting of two lines running from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, was damaged by explosions on September 26, 2022. The incident occurred in international waters but within the exclusive economic zones of Denmark and Sweden. Denmark and Sweden closed their investigations in 2024, but Germany has continued its probe. Germany's federal prosecutor charged former Ukrainian military officer Serhii K. in July, accusing him of acting on the orders of Ukrainian intelligence. Serhii K. was arrested in Italy in August and transferred to Germany in November. The Ukrainian government has denied any involvement in the explosions.
The arrest of Zhuravlev while he was involved in the production of Snake Island, directed by Doug Liman and starring Oscar-winning actors Sean Penn and Adrien Brody, has drawn significant attention. Authorities allege that Zhuravlev, along with other suspects, used fake passports to enter Germany, chartered a yacht, and placed explosives near Denmark's Bornholm island before detonating them. Zhuravlev denies all allegations.
