Ukrainian diving instructor charged with bombing Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany

15 August 2024, 12:30

The Nord Stream after the sabotage
The Nord Stream after the sabotage. Picture: Alamy

By Kit Heren

A Ukrainian diving instructor has become the first person to be charged with the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines connecting Russian gas with Germany.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

The suspect, named in Sweden as 44-year-old Volodymyr Zhuravlov, has fled Poland after German prosecutors issued a warrant for his arrest.

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, which run under the Baltic Sea, were bombed in September 2022, taking them largely out of service.

They were sabotaged with several explosive devices, each of which detonated with a force equivalent to half a tonne of TNT.

This created the largest methane leak ever recorded.

Read more: 'Peddling false claims': UK slams Russia for accusing Royal Navy of blowing up Nord Stream pipeline

Read more: Watch: Dramatic footage of Nord Stream leak as EU warns sabotage will not be tolerated and Moscow denies involvement

Nord Stream leak on map, sites of explosions of natural gas pipelines
Nord Stream with sites of explosions . Picture: Alamy

The Nord Stream is significant because it symbolises Germany's dependence on Russian gas, even as it backs Ukraine against the Kremlin's invasion.

Several theories have circulated as to who could be behind the sabotage, with Russia blamed by some in the West, and others variously pointing the finger at the US and UK, Ukraine and Poland.

Russia blamed the Royal Navy for the attack, with British military chiefs accusing them in response of "peddling false claims".

Now Germany believes a Ukrainian group organised the sabotage using a 50ft yacht.

The Ukrainian government has said it was unaware of any attack before it took place - and continued to blame Moscow.

Mikhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said: "Such an act can only be carried out with extensive technical and financial resources…

"And who possessed all this at the time of the bombing? Only Russia."

In this Handout Photo provided by Swedish Coast Guard, the release of gas emanating from a leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea on September 28, 2022
In this Handout Photo provided by Swedish Coast Guard, the release of gas emanating from a leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea on September 28, 2022. Picture: Getty

German prosecutors' theory is that the group, which may have comprised as few as five people, hired the yacht from the port of Rostock, then sailed to the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea with explosives on board.

Then, the prosecutors believe, two divers swam down and planted the bombs on the seabed.

German public broadcaster ARD reported that Zhuravlov denies being involved.

He has lived in Poland for several years, most recently settling in the city of Pruszkow near Warsaw.

Zhuravlov fled the country in July, managing to slip across the border into Ukraine because Germany had not registered the arrest warrant with the Schengen information service, who run a database of wanted people.

His current whereabouts are unknown.

The pipeline was sabotaged
The pipeline was sabotaged. Picture: Getty

German media have reported that he used to work at a diving school in Kyiv run by two Ukrainians who are also being investigated in connection with the sabotage.

Zhuravlov is said to have been caught on a speed camera travelling in a van through an island close to where the yacht was moored.

Germany said the criminal proceedings did not affect its political relationship with Ukraine.

A spokesperson said: "The procedures have no bearing on what the Chancellor (Olaf Scholz) has described as the support of Ukraine's defence against Russia's illegal war of aggression, as long as necessary."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Missing Jay Slater witness found 'holidaying' in Tenerife as inquest hears Jay, 19, died with alcohol in his system

Missing Jay Slater witness found 'holidaying' in Tenerife as inquest hears Jay, 19, died with drugs in system

Kim Jong Un described the incident as "shameful"

Kim Jong-un furious as North Korea warship damaged during launch party

Breaking
Breaking News

Some sex offenders 'keen' to be chemically castrated, sentencing review chairman tells LBC

Fans on the pitch during a screening at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the Europa League final

The best photos as Tottenham fans celebrate

In the tribunal’s ruling, the judge said that “reactions from others, verbally or as a gesture, can [have] a damning effect on his self-esteem and anxiety”

Sighing at a colleague can count as workplace harassment, tribunal rules

Israeli media reports their full names are Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgram.

Pictured: Israeli embassy staff killed near Jewish Museum in Washington, DC ‘who were due to get engaged next week’

The thinktank report says inclusion and diversity training should become part of the national curriculum as standard

Schoolchildren should be taught diversity in ‘new era of racial inclusion’, says think tank

Luke Martin’s wife Beth, 28, died while on holiday in Turkey

Mother, 28, dies mysteriously on holiday in Turkey before her devastated family learn her body was desecrated

Exclusive
Killer David Braddon (L) is serving a life sentence for murdering Conner Marshall. He was being monitored by probation services

One criminal charged with murder each week while supervised by probation, LBC reveals

Liam O'Hanna, left, was charged over an alleged incident which occurred during a London gig.

'We are not the story': Kneecap slam 'political policing' after rapper Liam O'Hanna charged with terror offence

The CSA Centre estimates as many as 1 in 10 children could face abuse before the age of 16 in the UK

Child sexual abuse services ‘on the verge of breaking point’, experts say

London, UK. 20 May 2025.  Relatives of victims in the UK's contaminated blood scandal campaign outside Parliament

'People are dying': fury at delay in infected blood payouts as minister denies hold-up 'not about saving money'

Earthquake of magnitude 6 hits Crete coast in Greece

Earthquake of magnitude 6 strikes Crete coast in Greece - as tsunami warning issued by authorities

Exclusive
Appearing on Facebook and Instagram it begins with a faded photo of him and the words 'Anas Sarwar has said he will prioritise the Pakistani community".

Reform UK spends £7k on 'outrageous' ads suggesting Scottish labour leader wants to 'prioritise Pakistani community'

Earned prison release, more community supervision… and chemical castration: Gauke’s sentencing review

Paedophiles and sex offenders face castration: Gauke’s sentencing review

Two Israeli embassy staff members killed in Washington shooting, suspect held

Two Israeli embassy staff members shot dead in 'targeted attack' outside Jewish Museum in Washington, DC