On September 30, 2025, Polish authorities detained a Ukrainian diver, Volodymyr Z., in Pruszkow near Warsaw, marking a significant development in the long-running investigation into the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions. The arrest, made on a European arrest warrant issued by Germany, brings renewed attention to one of the most consequential acts of sabotage in recent European history—a case that has left governments, investigators, and the public searching for answers ever since three of the four Nord Stream pipelines were damaged by underwater blasts in the Baltic Sea.
According to the Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office, Volodymyr Z., a 46-year-old resident of Poland who lived with his family and owned a business there, is “strongly suspected” of criminal offenses linked to the detonation of explosives, sabotage, and destruction of critical infrastructure. The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office stated that Volodymyr Z. is a trained diver who participated in a group operation to plant explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines. The group reportedly used a sailing yacht, rented from the German port of Rostock with forged identification documents, to travel near the Danish island of Bornholm, where the explosives were placed. (Reuters, Associated Press, The Guardian)
The explosions, which occurred on September 26, 2022, caused severe damage to the pipelines—built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea—and escalated an already tense geopolitical situation following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine earlier that year. The blasts largely severed Russian gas supplies to Europe, intensifying the continent’s energy crisis as European nations scrambled to reduce their reliance on Russian fuel. (Al Jazeera, Reuters, The Guardian)
The case against Volodymyr Z. is part of a broader investigation that has spanned several countries and involved multiple arrests. In August 2025, Italian police arrested another Ukrainian man, identified as Serhii K. (or Serhii Kuznietsov in some reports), suspected of coordinating the attacks. Serhii K. is currently fighting extradition to Germany, with his defense team arguing before Italy’s Supreme Court of Cassation that “fundamental rights—fair trial, detention conditions, functional immunity—cannot be sacrificed in the name of automatic judicial cooperation.” (Al Jazeera, Reuters, The Guardian)
Back in Poland, Volodymyr Z.’s legal defense, led by lawyer Tymoteusz Paprocki, has signaled a robust fight against extradition. Paprocki told Polish radio station RMF FM, “Taking into consideration the full-scale war in Ukraine and the fact that Nord Stream is owned by the Russian company Gazprom, which finances these activities, the defense currently does not see any possibility of pressing charges against anyone who participated in these events.” He further asserted his client’s innocence, stating, “My client has done nothing wrong and pleads not guilty. My client has not committed any crime to the detriment of Germany.” (AFP, Reuters)
The defense’s argument centers on the notion that, given Russia’s ongoing military aggression in Ukraine and Gazprom’s role as a financial backer of the Russian state, Ukrainian nationals should not be held criminally liable for actions that allegedly targeted Russian interests. This legal and moral stance is likely to be tested in Polish and German courts in the coming weeks, as prosecutors in Warsaw consider requesting a temporary seven-day arrest to prepare an extradition request. If extradited, Volodymyr Z. would be brought before an investigating judge at Germany’s Federal Court in Karlsruhe. (The Guardian, Associated Press)
The Nord Stream explosions have been a source of international intrigue and diplomatic tension since the day they happened. Both Moscow and Western officials immediately labeled the incident an act of sabotage. Russia has consistently blamed the United States, Britain, and Ukraine for the attack, while all three countries have denied involvement. For its part, Ukraine has repeatedly stated that it had no knowledge of or role in the pipeline sabotage. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly denied any Ukrainian government involvement. (Al Jazeera, The Guardian)
Initial suspicions in the West even pointed at Russia itself, but over time, German investigators shifted focus toward a pro-Ukrainian group. In 2023, German authorities concluded that a team of five men and one woman, believed to have Ukrainian connections, were responsible for the operation. According to German news outlets such as Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Die Zeit, and ARD, investigators believe Volodymyr Z. was part of this team, specifically responsible for the technical task of placing the explosives underwater. (Al Jazeera, The Guardian)
The technical details of the operation are striking. German authorities allege that the group rented a yacht in Rostock, Germany, using forged documents, and sailed to the area near Bornholm, Denmark. There, Volodymyr Z., described as a diving instructor, is suspected of diving down to the seabed to attach the explosives to the pipelines. This account is supported by evidence found during the multinational investigation, including traces of explosives on debris recovered from the site by Swedish and Danish authorities. Both Sweden and Denmark closed their investigations in February 2025 without identifying additional suspects, but confirmed the blasts were deliberate acts of sabotage. (Reuters, The Guardian)
The Nord Stream pipelines themselves have been at the center of geopolitical wrangling for years. Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 were designed to transport vast quantities of Russian natural gas directly to Germany, bypassing traditional transit countries and deepening Europe’s energy ties to Moscow. Nord Stream 2, however, never went into operation—its certification process was halted by Germany in February 2022 after Russia recognized separatist regions in eastern Ukraine. After the explosions, the Kremlin insisted that the pipelines could be repaired, but Germany has ruled out bringing Nord Stream 2 into use. (The Guardian, Associated Press)
The diplomatic stakes of the case are high, given Germany’s strong support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, including significant military and financial aid. The investigation into the Nord Stream sabotage has therefore been diplomatically awkward, with Germany seeking justice for an attack on its energy infrastructure while continuing to back Ukraine against Russian aggression. (The Guardian)
As the legal proceedings move forward, the fate of Volodymyr Z. and his alleged accomplices remains uncertain. Prosecutors in Poland and Germany are preparing their next steps, while defense teams in both Poland and Italy are mounting vigorous challenges to extradition. Meanwhile, the Nord Stream case continues to cast a long shadow over European security, energy policy, and the tangled politics of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
For now, the arrest of Volodymyr Z. has brought the Nord Stream investigation back into the spotlight, but the full story of what happened beneath the Baltic Sea—and why—remains, in many ways, as murky as ever.
