Nord Stream bombing suspect requests asylum in Croatia

Ukrainian national Volodymyr Zhuravlov, arrested in Croatia on suspicion of involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline, has requested political asylum in the country.

This was reported by Suspilne, citing his lawyer.

According to the defense attorney, Zhuravlov justified his request on the grounds that he would not receive a fair trial in Germany, to which he could be extradited. The lawyer stressed, however, that the asylum request does not automatically halt the extradition process.

Last week, a court in the Croatian city of Pula approved the extradition of Zhuravlov to Germany — which is what German authorities had sought. The final decision on extradition must be made by the country’s Supreme Criminal Court. The defense had intended to appeal the initial ruling, calling it “biased and politically motivated.”

Zhuravlov was detained in Croatia in August of this year. Prior to that, he had already been detained in Poland, but a Polish court rejected Germany’s extradition request and the man was released.

According to media reports, Zhuravlov flew to Croatia to participate as a consultant in the filming of a feature film called “Snake Island” — a picture whose plot centers on the pipeline sabotage.

The explosions on the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines occurred in September 2022. As a result, three of the four pipeline tubes were damaged. As part of the investigation launched in Germany, the alleged leader of the group that carried out the explosions was arrested — also a Ukrainian citizen. Serhiy Kuznetsov was detained in Italy and extradited to Germany in November 2025.