Nord Stream bomb suspect arrested while working on A-list Ukraine war movie starring Sean Penn
The Ukrainian suspect had previously been held in Poland for his alleged role in destroying the pipelines but Warsaw refused to extradite him to Germany.
On August 19, 2026, Croatian police apprehended Ukrainian diver Volodymyr Zhuravlov on the set of a film in Pula, Croatia, according to Croatian broadcaster HRT. German prosecutors have since confirmed his identity, as per the Associated Press. Zhuravlov, a trained scuba diver, was allegedly present on the set of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island, as reported by Legal Tribune Online.
German authorities have a third opportunity to apprehend Zhuravlov, following two prior attempts in Poland that proved unsuccessful. If Croatia agrees to his extradition, he would become the second suspected individual to face proceedings in Germany in connection with the Nord Stream attacks. While Germany has pursued other suspects across Europe, the identity of the individual who ordered the sabotage remains unknown.
According to the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office of Germany, Zhuravlov was a trained scuba diver who played a crucial role in placing explosives on Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines located near Denmark’s Bornholm island. Prosecutors claim that the group embarked from Rostock aboard a yacht rented from a German company using forged identity documents. The 2024 European arrest warrant alleges that Zhuravlov contributed to an explosion, anti-constitutional sabotage, and destruction of structures.
Zhuravlov is scheduled to appear before an investigating judge at Germany's Federal Court of Justice following his extradition, as stated by the prosecutors. However, a Croatian court must first approve his surrender. It was reported that investigators initially sought Zhuravlov's arrest in Poland during the summer of 2024, but he crossed into Ukraine before being detained.
Polish police apprehended him near Warsaw in the autumn of 2025, yet a court dismissed Germany's extradition request, reasoning that the pipelines could be considered a legitimate military target during an armed conflict.
Zhuravlov has consistently denied involvement in the attacks. His lawyer, Tymoteusz Paprocki, informed the AP that Zhuravlov acknowledged the Polish ruling only applied within Poland. Another Ukrainian suspect, Serhii K., was arrested near Rimini in August 2025 and extradited to Germany in November 2025 after unsuccessful appeals.
He is charged with coordinating the operation rather than participating in the dives. Prosecutors allege he orchestrated the attack, and Hamburg's court found strong grounds in December 2025 to believe that a state initiated and directed the sabotage, though the responsible state remains unidentified.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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