Croatia Arrests Second Ukrainian Suspect In Nord Stream Pipeline Case

A second Ukrainian suspect in Germany's investigation into the 2022 Nord Stream gas pipeline blasts has been arrested in Croatia, under a German European arrest warrant, Germany's Federal Public Prosecutor's Office said on Wednesday.

The suspect, identified as Ukrainian national Vladimir Z, was arrested in Pula, Croatia, the prosecutor's office said in a statement. According to the statement, he is a trained scuba diver and is alleged to have been part of a group that planted explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in September 2022.

The arrest was carried out by Croatian police under a European Arrest Warrant issued by the Federal Court of Justice. Vladimir Z is to be brought before an investigating judge in Germany following his extradition, the prosecutor's office said.

Indictment Against Serhii K

The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office also confirmed that it filed an indictment against Ukrainian national Serhii K before the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg in June 2026 over his alleged role in the explosions.

According to arrest-warrant documents and a December 2025 detention ruling, prosecutors allege that Serhii K helped coordinate a team that used a sailing yacht, the Andromeda, to place explosive devices on the pipelines near Denmark's Bornholm island.

Prosecutors allege the Andromeda's crew consisted of a coordinator, a skipper, four deep-sea divers and an explosives specialist. Serhii K is suspected of acting as the on-board coordinator and team leader, not as a diver or bomb expert. Court records describe him as a Ukrainian national who was an officer in a Ukrainian special forces unit at the time. He has denied involvement.

Political And Legal Background

The September 2022 explosions damaged the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which had been major routes for Russian gas exports to Europe. German courts have treated the case as falling within German jurisdiction because the pipelines terminate at Lubmin in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Ukraine has denied involvement in the sabotage, while German prosecutors allege that Serhii K acted on behalf of Ukrainian state entities.

The State Protection Senate of the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg will decide whether to open the trial and, if so, when proceedings will begin.