Suspect in Nord Stream explosion detained in Croatia — he consulted on a film starring Sean Penn

Ukrainian diver Volodymyr Zhuravlov, one of the main suspects in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline, has been detained in the Croatian city of Pula — on the set of a Hollywood film about the very same act of sabotage.

The Guardian reports this.

According to the publication, in early August residents of Zagreb noticed unusual activity near the Hotel Esplanade — an art deco building. Sandbags, barricades, a film crew, and extras in Ukrainian military uniforms appeared in front of it. Actors Sean Penn and Adrien Brody were spotted on set, along with Hollywood director Doug Liman, known for the Jason Bourne films. Liman is shooting a political thriller called “Snake Island” — about the 2022 Nord Stream explosions, in which a group of Ukrainian divers allegedly blew up the pipeline that carried Russian gas to Germany.

Zhuravlov, according to German journalists, was serving as a consultant on the film — which dramatically recreates the alleged act of underwater sabotage in which he is said to have participated. In an interview given before the Ukrainian’s arrest, director Liman confirmed that part of the filming would take place in Pula. Who exactly alerted the authorities to Zhuravlov’s whereabouts, and what precisely he was doing in Croatia, remains unknown. The film company has so far offered no explanation.

This is already the third attempt by authorities to detain Zhuravlov. He had previously evaded German justice twice: reportedly, on one occasion he escaped from Poland in the trunk of a diplomatic vehicle, and on another he was released by a court.

Local police detained him on the basis of a European arrest warrant. Zhuravlov was described as a professional and experienced diver. According to investigators, he was part of a group led by another Ukrainian — Serhiy K., who was extradited to Germany from Italy in 2025. Prosecutors believe that both men had ties to Ukrainian state structures and planted explosives on the orders of their shadowy handlers in the intelligence services. Both Ukrainian divers deny involvement in the underwater explosions that occurred near the Danish island of Bornholm.

Zhuravlov’s lawyers intend to fight his extradition to Germany, where he faces a lengthy prison sentence if convicted. His Polish lawyer warns that if Zhuravlov remains in Croatia, the case will once again become a “precedent-setting” one — a Croatian court will effectively be ruling on a matter already decided in Poland, another EU member state.

Last year, a Polish court refused to execute the European arrest warrant issued by Germany, ruling that Germany lacked jurisdiction in the case and that the destruction of Nord Stream could be regarded as a justified act by Ukraine in the context of a defensive war.