Ukrainian Nord Stream blast suspect detained in Croatia
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Police escort Vladimir Z. after a court hearing in Pula, Croatia, August 20, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
By Daria Sito-Sucic
SARAJEVO, Aug 20 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian man suspected of being involved in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline blasts has been placed into pre-trial detention in Croatia pending a decision on his extradition to Germany, court officials said on Friday.
The suspect - described as a scuba diver by German prosecutors who have identified him only as Vladimir Z. - was arrested in the early hours on Wednesday in a hotel in the Croatian coastal city of Pula on a European arrest warrant.
German prosecutors have said Vladimir Z. was part of a group behind the blasts which followed Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine earlier that year.
The explosions - described by Russia and Western countries as sabotage - damaged the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, a vital route for Russian gas exports to Europe, as well as the Nord Stream 2 branch, which had yet to enter service.
Another suspect in the case, former Ukrainian army officer Serhii K., was charged by prosecutors in July with orchestrating the blasts while acting on behalf of Ukrainian state entities.
That man - who was arrested in Italy in August 2025 and transferred to Germany in November - has denied any involvement in the blasts near the Danish island of Bornholm.
Court officials in Pula said the suspect arrested there this week was put in detention on Thursday following a request from the county state attorney, who has questioned him. They gave no details on whether he had entered a plea.
German courts have treated the case as falling within their jurisdiction because the damaged pipelines end in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and their loss affected Germany's energy security and internal safety.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said his ministry has been in contact with the Croatian authorities to facilitate the suspect's extradition but that the procedures can take time.
"We have a strong interest in clarifying the facts in this context and ... ensuring that the perpetrators are brought to Germany, where they will be dealt with appropriately,” Dobrindt added.
(Additional reporting by Markus Wacket in Berlin; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
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