A Ukrainian citizen wanted by Germany over his alleged involvement in the Nord Stream explosions has been detained in Poland, marking the second arrest of a Ukrainian national in the case.
The man, identified as Volodymyr Z., was detained in the central city of Pruszków in the early hours of Tuesday, September 30th, according to his lawyer. He was taken into custody under a European arrest warrant issued by German authorities and has since been transferred to the District Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw.
“He is currently being investigated for the execution of a European Arrest Warrant,” prosecutor’s office spokesman Piotr Antoni Skiba said.
German prosecutors issued their first arrest warrant in August 2024, naming Volodymyr Z. as a suspect. Reports at the time described him as a diving instructor living in Pruszków, though authorities were unable to locate him until now.
The Nord Stream explosions on September 26th, 2022, ruptured three of the four pipelines built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany. The sabotage, described by both Moscow and the West as a deliberate act, cut off a critical supply route as Europe was already facing an energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The blasts damaged the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which Moscow had stopped supplying just weeks earlier, and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which had never entered service after Berlin suspended its certification on the eve of the war.
No group has admitted responsibility, and Ukraine has denied involvement. Russia has accused the U.S. of staging the explosions, a claim also made by veteran investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, but one Washington denies. Western suspicion has often fallen on Moscow, while German media later reported the possible involvement of a pro-Ukraine group. A Wall Street Journal report claimed Ukrainian President Zelensky authorized the attack but—unsuccessfully—called it off after pressure from the CIA. German officials urged caution, stressing no direct evidence linked any state actor to the attack.
Volodymyr Z.’s capture follows the arrest last month of another Ukrainian national, Serhii K., in Italy. German prosecutors said he was “allegedly one of the coordinators of the operation.” Italian courts cleared his extradition to Germany, though his lawyer has appealed the decision.
