A Ukrainian man wanted in connection with the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline bombings has been arrested in Croatia while working on a Hollywood film about the very same sabotage attack, according to reports. Volodymyr Zhuravlyov was detained on Wednesday by police in Pula, Croatia, acting on a European arrest warrant issued by Germany, which is currently seeking his extradition.
German prosecutors allege that Zhuravlyov, a trained diver, played a key role in planting explosives on the Baltic Sea gas pipelines that connected Russia and Germany. The September 2022 sabotage destroyed three of the four pipelines, severely disrupting European energy infrastructure months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to Germany's Legal Tribune Online, Zhuravlyov was arrested on the set of the upcoming film "Snake Island." The movie, directed by "The Bourne Identity" filmmaker Doug Liman, is set to star Oscar-winning actors Adrien Brody and Sean Penn. Media reports indicate that Zhuravlyov was serving as an advisor for the production, though the AFP news agency noted that German and Croatian authorities could not immediately confirm this role.
This is not Zhuravlyov's first detention related to the pipeline blasts. He was previously held in Poland, but Polish authorities ultimately refused Germany's extradition request and released him. Officials in Warsaw reportedly concluded that a Ukrainian attack on Russian-linked energy infrastructure was a legitimate act of war rather than a criminal offense.
The investigation has created significant political friction between Germany and Ukraine. While Berlin remains one of Kyiv's strongest European allies, German investigators suspect the sabotage was ordered by a Ukrainian state agency to deny Russia critical energy revenues used to fund its military campaign. When questioned about the political sensitivity of the case, German government officials have emphasized the independence of their country's judiciary. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently denied any state involvement, stating his government had no knowledge of any plot to destroy the pipelines.
Prosecutors claim Zhuravlyov acted alongside Sergiy Kuznetsov, another Ukrainian national who was arrested in Italy last year and subsequently extradited to Germany to face charges.
Germany's Legal Tribune Online reported he was arrested while working on the set of the upcoming movie "Snake Island," which is being directed by Doug Liman who was also responsible for 2002’s "The Bourne Identity."
