Nord Stream Suspect Arrested in Croatia

A Ukrainian man suspected of taking part in the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines has been arrested in Croatia, German federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday. Vladimir Z. was detained in the coastal city of Pula on a European arrest warrant.

The suspect is a trained diver who investigators believe was part of a group that planted explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022. He is strongly suspected of jointly causing an explosion, anti-constitutional sabotage and destruction of infrastructure.

The explosions on 26 September 2022 severely damaged the pipelines, which were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany through the Baltic Sea. German prosecutors say the operation was intended to permanently disrupt Russian gas supplies to Europe and prevent Moscow from using the revenues to finance its war against Ukraine.

Vladimir Z. is expected to be extradited to Germany, where he will be brought before an investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice.

German prosecutors have also charged Serhiy K., a Ukrainian national and former army officer, over his alleged role in the same operation. Prosecutors accuse him of leading the group that carried out the attack.

(AP, bak)