Ukrainian Nord Stream sabotage suspect seeks asylum in Croatia as extradition appeal proceeds

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Ukrainian Nord Stream sabotage suspect seeks asylum in Croatia as extradition appeal proceeds
Croatian court approves extradition of Ukrainian suspect in Nord Stream sabotage to Germany
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Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, a Ukrainian national suspected by German investigators of involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, has applied for political asylum in Croatia, his lawyer Mykola Katerynchuk confirmed on Sept. 29. The request does not automatically halt the extradition process to Germany, where Zhuravlyov faces charges related to the explosions that damaged the pipelines under the Baltic Sea.
A Croatian district court authorized Zhuravlyov’s extradition on Sept. 18, and his defense team is appealing the ruling. Katerynchuk argued that extradition remains a political decision and that asylum offers Croatia’s authorities an alternative path to address the case. “Volodymyr Zhuravlyov has applied for political asylum in Croatia, arguing that he does not expect a fair trial in Germany,” the lawyer told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne .
Zhuravlyov was detained in Croatia on Aug. 19 while working as a consultant on a Hollywood film about underwater saboteurs, media reports said. German authorities accuse him of helping place explosives on the pipelines as part of a covert operation conducted from a rented sailing yacht that departed from Rostock. He was previously detained in Poland in September 2025 but released a month later after a Warsaw court rejected Germany’s extradition request, citing national interest.
German investigators have linked the sabotage to a pro-Ukraine group allegedly led by another Ukrainian national, Serhii Kuznetsov, who is already in German custody after his arrest in Italy in August 2025. Kyiv has denied any involvement in the explosions. The Nord Stream pipelines, which were not operational at the time, were filled with technical gas when three of the four lines were destroyed by explosions on Sept. 26, 2022.
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