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Ukrainian Diver Volodymyr Zhuravlev Arrested in Croatia While Consulting on Hollywood Film About Nord Stream Bombing

Croatian authorities arrested Volodymyr Zhuravlev, a Ukrainian professional diver, in the city of Pula while he was serving as a consultant for the upcoming Hollywood movie "Snake Island." The film, directed by Doug Liman, dramatizes the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines. German prosecutors accuse Zhuravlev of helping to plant explosives on the Baltic Sea energy link, which destroyed three of the four pipelines. While Germany seeks his extradition, Zhuravlev denies any role in the sabotage. The arrest is notable because the Ukrainian government has officially denied involvement in the pipeline explosions. Furthermore, the case faces a legal challenge in Croatia, as a Polish court had previously refused to enforce Germany's arrest warrant, ruling that the destruction of the pipelines was a justified act of war rather than a crime. Zhuravlev's lawyers will now seek to prevent his extradition to Germany, where he faces a potential prison sentence if convicted.

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