"Nord Stream" explosions: Croatia did not inform Ukraine of Zhuravlov’s arrest, - Office of Prosecutor General. DOCUMENT
The Office of the Prosecutor General has not received any official notification regarding the arrest in Croatia of Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Zhuravlov, whom German investigators suspect of involvement in the blowing up of the "Nord Stream" pipelines.
This is stated in a response to an inquiry from Censor.NET.
Details
The agency noted that the competent authorities in Croatia had not officially contacted the Office of the Prosecutor General regarding Zhuravlov’s detention. The prosecutor’s office learned of this fact from media reports.
The Office of the Prosecutor General also noted that neither Croatia nor Germany had submitted a formal request to the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office or provided a copy of the European arrest warrant.
Under the circumstances leading to his detention in Croatia, Zhuravlov had not been charged with any criminal offenses by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, nor had any convictions been issued against him.
In light of these facts, the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office is currently unable to submit a request to the competent Croatian authorities for Zhuravlov’s extradition to Ukraine.
The blowing up of the ‘Nord Stream’ pipelines
- On 26 September 2022, three explosions occurred on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which run along the seabed of the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, causing massive gas leaks.
- The governments of the US, the UK, and the EU have stated that this was a deliberate act of sabotage.
- In early February 2024, Sweden closed its investigation into the bombing of the Nord Stream pipeline due to a lack of jurisdiction.
- Subsequently, Germany issued arrest warrants for all those suspected of carrying out acts of sabotage on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022. All of them are Ukrainian nationals.
- The Bologna Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of the extradition to Germany of the Ukrainian national Serhii Kuznetsov.
- On 1 October, the Warsaw District Court ruled that the Ukrainian national Volodymyr Zh., whom the German authorities suspect of involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022, should be remanded in custody for seven days.
- On 6 October, the Warsaw Regional Court extended the detention of the Ukrainian national Volodymyr Zh. by 40 days.
- The Court of Appeal in Bologna upheld the decision to extradite to Germany Ukrainian national Serhii Kuznetsov, who is suspected of involvement in the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022.
- Subsequently, the Italian Constitutional Court authorised the extradition of Ukrainian citizen Serhii Kuznetsov to Germany.
- On 27 November, Italy extradited the Ukrainian Serhii Kuznetsov to Germany.
- On 28 November, Kuznetsov was taken into custody in Germany.
- According to media reports, Kuznetsov served in the Special Operations Forces.
- On July 1, 2026, Germany’s Federal Prosecutor General for the first time brought formal charges against Ukrainian citizen Serhii Kuznietsov, who is suspected of involvement in the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines on September 26, 2022.
- On August 19, it became known that another suspect in the case concerning the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines had been detained in Croatia. The suspect was Volodymyr Zhuravlov.
- On August 20, a Croatian court remanded Zhuravlov in custody.
