Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, a Ukrainian national and professional scuba diver, was arrested in Pula, Croatia, this week. The arrest was made under a European arrest warrant issued by Germany. German prosecutors accuse Zhuravlyov of involvement in planting explosives on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in September 2022, an incident that destroyed three of the four pipelines between Russia and Germany.
Zhuravlyov was apprehended while working as a consultant or adviser on the set of ‘Snake Island,’ a Hollywood film directed by Doug Liman and starring Sean Penn and Adrien Brody. The film is described as a political thriller that dramatizes the Nord Stream sabotage and reportedly centers on a team of Ukrainian divers conducting an underwater mission.
This marks the third attempt by German authorities to apprehend Zhuravlyov. He previously evaded capture in Poland in 2024. In late 2025, he was detained in Poland, but a Polish court refused his extradition, ruling that a Ukrainian attack on Russian infrastructure could be considered a legitimate act of war.
Zhuravlyov denies any involvement in the Nord Stream bombings. However, German investigators allege the attack was orchestrated by a Ukrainian state agency with the aim of reducing Russia’s energy revenues.
Zhuravlyov is also suspected of having worked with Sergiy Kuznetsov, another Ukrainian national. Kuznetsov was arrested in Italy in August 2025, subsequently extradited to Germany, and formally indicted in July 2026.