Second Ukrainian diver arrested over 2022 Nord Stream pipeline blast after ‘sabotage’ that damaged £35bn project

A SECOND Ukrainian man has been arrested over the undersea explosions that blasted the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022. Trained scuba diver Vladimir Z was arrested in Croatia by local police acting on a European arrest warrant almost four years on from the deep sea sabotage. A picture of the Nord Stream gas leak taken from above showing the sea writhing with bubbles Credit: Reuters Images show the damaged pipeline after the explosion Vladimir Z is accused of acting alongside a group who planted explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines near the island of Bornholm in September 2022, German prosecutors have said. They added: “The suspect participated in the necessary dives.” Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! He will be extradited to Germany for further questioning. His full name is yet to be released due to German privacy laws however he is understood to be Volodymyr Zhuravlyov. Zhuravlyov was already arrested back in 2025 in Poland over the undersea plot. Both Nord Stream pipelines were damaged by explosions under the Baltic Sea between Denmark and Sweden. Last year, a Ukrainian suspect identified only as Serhiy Kuznetsov was detained in Misano Adriatrico, near the Italian city of Rimini. The Ukrainian national has continued to deny having any involvement in the attacks. Most read in The Sun The blasts caused four leaks as shocking images showed the twisted remains of the pipeline 262ft down in the Baltic Sea. Around 165ft of pipeline was destroyed or buried under the seafloor. The attacks sent millions of cubic metres of methane boiling to the sea’s surface and pushed sky-high gas prices even higher. Pipes at the landfall facilities of the ‘Nord Stream 1’ gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany Credit: Reuters Drone footage showed around 165ft of pipeline had been destroyed The underwater explosions were detected alongside a mini earthquake at the time. Kuznetsov and Zhuravlyov are alleged to have used a yacht to sail from the German port of Rostock to the site of the pipelines. They used fake IDs and intermediaries to get the vessel, prosecutors believe. The dangerous blasts sparked months of fury over who was behind the attack. Security experts initially blamed Russian sabotage as both Ukraine and Poland pointed the finger at Moscow. Putin had been previously accused of weaponising the energy crisis in a bid to pile pressure on the West. Russia denied all the allegations at the time, calling them “predictable and stupid”. Despite the suspects being Ukrainian, officials in Kyiv have also repeatedly denied any role. Comment now