Ukrainian man arrested in Croatia over Nord Stream pipeline blasts

A Ukrainian man, identified as Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, has been arrested in Croatia on suspicion of involvement in the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022. German authorities allege he was one of the scuba divers who planted explosives on the pipelines following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This is the second arrest over the incident, which has strained relations between Ukraine and Germany.

Zhuravlyov, a trained scuba diver, is also set to face extradition to Germany. The other suspect, former Ukrainian military officer Serhiy Kuznetsov, was arrested in Italy and is set to face trial in Germany. German prosecutors allege that Kuznetsov led a team that used a yacht rented in Germany to plant explosives near the Danish Baltic Sea island of Bornholm.

The destruction of Nord Stream 1 has been a contentious issue, initially blamed on Moscow, but evidence suggests Ukrainian involvement. Germany has treated the destruction as falling within its jurisdiction due to the pipelines ending in Germany. Germany played a significant role in the Nord Stream project, but Poland has been a vocal critic, arguing it makes Germany too dependent on Russia. Ukraine and the US have also been longstanding opponents of the pipeline project.