Hollywood begins filming fictional take on Nord Stream pipeline sabotage

Hollywood has turned its attention to the sabotage acts that knocked the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea offline, with filming reportedly underway in Croatia for a new movie featuring an A-list cast.

Oscar-winning actors Sean Penn and Adrien Brody are among the film’s leading stars and have reportedly been spotted on set, according to Croatian media reports.

The production is being filmed in Zagreb and along Croatia’s Adriatic coast under the direction of Doug Liman, whose credits include "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" and "The Bourne Identity".

The movie is inspired by the 2022 explosions that severely damaged the Nord Stream pipelines, but it will tell a fictional story involving Ukrainian divers rather than offer a fact-based account of the sabotage, which has been investigated by authorities in several countries.

The filming has attracted attention among local residents, who reported seeing actors wearing Ukrainian military uniforms on Zagreb’s streets. Penn and Brody were also spotted on set, while production crews erected barricades and sandbag positions for the scenes.

No country or group has publicly claimed responsibility for the explosions that ruptured the pipelines, which had been used to transport Russian natural gas to Germany. However, German prosecutors formally charged a Ukrainian national and military diver, identified as Serhii K., in June over his alleged involvement in the operation.

According to Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office, Kuznetsov entered Germany through Poland in September 2022 and allegedly led a covert team of divers aboard a rented yacht to the waters near the Danish island of Bornholm. Investigators allege that the team planted and detonated explosives in an operation intended to disable the pipelines.

Penn has been an outspoken supporter of Ukraine since the war began in 2022. He has visited the country several times and produced the documentary "Superpower", which chronicles the war and examines the life and political career of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

By Nazrin Sadigova