Volodymyr Zhuravlev, a Ukrainian man suspected of involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions, was arrested in Croatia on Wednesday while working as a consultant on a Hollywood film about the sabotage, according to German media reports. The film, titled Snake Island, is directed by Doug Liman and stars Sean Penn and Adrien Brody.
Arrest During Film Production
Zhuravlev was detained in the Croatian city of Pula, an ancient Roman port on the Adriatic coast. Photos in Croatian newspapers showed two police officers leading him away, a middle-aged figure in a blue T-shirt and brown cap. German federal prosecutors said local police forces detained him on a European arrest warrant. They described Zhuravlev as a professional and experienced scuba diver and said he was part of a group led by another Ukrainian, Serhii K, who was extradited in 2025 to Germany from Italy.
Earlier this month, locals in Zagreb noticed sandbags and barricades outside the Esplanade hotel, along with a film crew and extras in Ukrainian military uniforms. Sean Penn and Adrien Brody were spotted on set with Doug Liman, director of the Jason Bourne movies. Liman confirmed parts of the movie would be shot in Pula. “It’s a little hot [in Zagreb]. I’m excited to be by the water,” he told a TV crew.
Previous Elusions and Legal Context
Zhuravlev had twice eluded German authorities before his arrest. Once, he allegedly slipped out of Poland in the boot of a diplomatic car, and on another occasion, he was freed by a court. German magazine Der Spiegel alleged he was helped to escape by a Ukrainian military attache stationed in Warsaw, who hid him in the boot of a diplomatic car and whisked him across the border.
Who tipped off the authorities, and what exactly Zhuravlev was doing in Croatia, remains unclear. The film’s production company has yet to issue an explanation. Zhuravlev’s lawyers will now seek to stop their client from being sent to Germany, where he is likely to face a lengthy prison sentence if convicted.
Legal Precedent and European Law Test
If Zhuravlev stays in Croatia, his Polish defence lawyer, Tymoteusz Paprocki, said the case will once again be “precedent-setting” – because a Croatian court will effectively hear a matter already decided in Poland, another EU member state. Last year, a Polish court ruled against executing a European arrest warrant issued by Germany, arguing that Germany had no jurisdiction and that the destruction of Nord Stream could be seen as a justified action by Ukraine as part of a defensive war.
Paprocki said: “It’ll be a case against the same person, with the same facts, the same relevant laws and European conventions, and the same European Arrest Warrant, brought by the same country, Germany. There will be a question of whether there is a consistent line from the courts, or if every country can apply international law differently.” He called it “a test for the functioning of European law.”
Denials and Political Context
The two Ukrainian divers have denied any involvement in the undersea blasts, which took place off the Danish island of Bornholm. The Ukrainian government said it had nothing to do with the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines and said it wanted to establish the “true circumstances” of the incident, noting it happened amid Russia’s “aggressive war against Ukraine”. The Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, has publicly said that “the problem with Nord Stream 2 is not that it was blown up. The problem is that it was built.”
