Volodymyr Zhuravlov, a suspect in the case over the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, has asked the Croatian authorities for political asylum.
According to his lawyer, Mykola Katerynchuk, Zhuravlov justified his application by saying he fears he would not get a fair trial in Germany, Suspilne reports.
At the same time, the lawyer noted that such a request for political asylum does not automatically halt the extradition process.
- This month, a hearing in Croatia on Zhuravlov’s extradition to Germany in the Nord Stream case was postponed due to a new charge.
- As Zhuravlov’s lawyers said, the German side updated the European arrest warrant and added a new classification to it — a war crime.
- The suspect was detained in August in Croatia.
- According to the German investigation, he is a professional diver. Investigators believe that in September 2022 the group planted explosive devices on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm. According to prosecutors, the Ukrainian took part in the dives required for the operation.
- To transport the explosive devices, members of the group used a sailing yacht, which they rented in Germany through intermediaries using forged documents.
- The explosive devices detonated on 26 September 2022, seriously damaging both pipelines. German prosecutors accused Zhuravlov of involvement in causing the explosion, sabotage and damage to infrastructure.
- Another Ukrainian, whom the German investigation also links to the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, is currently being held in custody in Germany.
- In June this year, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office brought charges against him.