Nord Stream Saboteur Arrested on Set of Hollywood Movie About the Attack

An alleged Ukrainian saboteur wanted over the destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipelines has been arrested while working on a film about the attack itself.

Volodymyr Zhuravlyov was detained in Croatia on Wednesday under a European arrest warrant issued by Germany, which is seeking to question him over the September 2022 explosions.

According to German outlet Legal Tribune Online, Zhuravlyov had been working as an adviser on Snake Island, a Doug Liman-directed film starring Sean Penn and Adrien Brody.

Arrest on the Set

Production began in Zagreb before moving to the Croatian coastal city of Pula.

The film is set to dramatize the events surrounding the Nord Stream blasts, including allegations that a team of Ukrainian divers took part in an operation to destroy the pipelines.

German prosecutors say Zhuravlyov is a trained scuba diver and suspect he helped place explosives that damaged three of the four Nord Stream pipelines beneath the Baltic Sea.

The blasts severed the direct energy connection between Russia and Germany.

No state or organization has claimed responsibility.

Berlin Pursues Ukrainian Link

German investigators suspect a Ukrainian state agency authorized the operation and intended to cut Russian energy revenues.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected claims that his government was involved.

Berlin is seeking Zhuravlyov’s extradition to Germany, where prosecutors want him to stand trial in federal court in Karlsruhe.

The case follows charges filed in June against Serhii Kuznetsov, a former Ukrainian army officer accused by German prosecutors of taking part in the same operation on behalf of Kyiv’s intelligence services.

Zhuravlyov had previously been arrested in Poland.

Warsaw declined to extradite him, arguing that an attack of the type alleged could constitute a legitimate act of war rather than a criminal offense.

Film Mirrors the Investigation

The circumstances of Zhuravlyov’s latest arrest have added an unusual dimension to a case already carrying significant political implications.

Snake Island takes its name from the Ukrainian Black Sea outcrop briefly captured by Russian forces before Ukraine pushed them off the island in June 2022.

The island became widely known after Russian warships demanded the surrender of Ukrainian defenders at the start of the full-scale invasion.

A Ukrainian border guard responded: “Russian warship, go f--- yourself.”

Witnesses said parts of central Zagreb had been converted into a military film set, with barricades, military equipment and extras wearing Ukrainian uniforms.

No release date has been announced.

Penn’s role in the production has not been disclosed. The actor has made several visits to Ukraine during the war and was awarded the country’s Order of Merit in 2022 for his advocacy.