Croatia arrests Ukrainian suspected of Nord Stream sabotage, to be tried in Germany
The man arrested was a Ukrainian identified by German authorities only as "Vladimir Z.," who the German public prosecutor's office describes as a trained diver who "participated in the necessary dives."
On August 19, Croatian authorities apprehended a Ukrainian national, identified as Vladimir Z., suspected of involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines. The German prosecutor's office announced the arrest, citing Z. as a trained diver who carried out the necessary dives. The pipelines, located in the Adriatic Sea, were sabotaged in September 2022, rendering them inoperable.
Z. will be extradited to Germany to face charges of jointly causing an explosion, anti-constitutional sabotage, and the destruction of buildings. In July, Germany indicted Serhii Kuznietsov, alleged to have overseen the operation. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office has not found proof of Ukraine's involvement in the sabotage.
Nevertheless, if Z. and Kuznietsov are convicted, the AfD party in Germany, led by Alice Weidel, may leverage the case against the government. Despite the suspects' potential guilt, German public opinion remains supportive of Ukraine. German MEP Daniel Freund emphasized that Germany remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine, even as justice unfolds.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
