Overview
- German federal prosecutors said a Ukrainian man identified as Vladimir Z. was arrested in Pula and is accused of taking part in dives that planted explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines.
- The Croatian regional court ordered him held in custody pending Germany’s extradition request after hearings on August 20 and 21, according to court and prosecutor statements.
- Prosecutors say the suspect is a trained scuba diver and part of a group led by a second Ukrainian, Serhii K., who was charged in July and is already held in Germany after extradition from Italy.
- German charges describe a coordinated operation that used a yacht rented from Rostock with forged documents to deliver explosives, while Ukraine has denied any state role in the attack.
- The arrest revives questions about European judicial cooperation and energy security, coming after Poland last year refused a German extradition request for a man with the same name and as trials move forward in Germany.