Alexei Kradzgur, a 47-year-old Israeli national of Russian origin, is at the centre of extradition proceedings after his arrest in Cyprus. The arrest took place at Larnaca port on Saturday, triggered by an Interpol warrant connected to the notorious hijacking of the cargo vessel Arctic Sea in 2009.
Kradzgur arrived in Larnaca aboard a cruise ship from Haifa, which made a brief stop at the port. Authorities discovered an outstanding arrest warrant from Russia, prompting immediate action. The Larnaca District Court has mandated that he remain in custody, with the next hearing scheduled for 14 November.
The Arctic Sea, a Malta-flagged cargo ship, departed from Jakobstad port in Finland on 23 July 2009, carrying timber. Just a day later, the vessel was attacked in the Baltic Sea by armed men posing as police officers. Reports from the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth detail how the attackers boarded the ship, brutally assaulted the 15 Russian crew members, bound them, and took control of the vessel.
Russian naval forces managed to recapture the Arctic Sea on 17 August 2009, near the Cape Verde Islands. During this operation, eight primary hijackers, primarily from Estonia and Latvia, were apprehended. A Russian court later sentenced them to up to 15 years in prison for crimes including piracy and kidnapping. The convicted individuals, however, contended that they were mercenaries hired to inflate demand for maritime security services.
Kradzgur now faces serious charges of armed piracy, kidnapping, and extortion. He is accused of playing a pivotal role in the planning and execution of the hijacking, which includes recruiting personnel and coordinating financial operations from Latvia.
The Arctic Sea incident has remained shrouded in mystery, spawning a multitude of theories since 2009. Speculations included the possibility of secret Russian weapons being transported or connections to intelligence services. However, Russian officials have consistently dismissed these theories, framing the event purely as an act of piracy.
A 2009 investigation in Latvia linked Kradzgur to the crime, revealing his status as the owner of an advertising business in Riga. At the time, he was described as a man who enjoyed sushi and computer games.
This is not Kradzgur’s first encounter with legal troubles related to the hijacking. He was previously arrested in 2009 but released on bail, only to later flee and be declared wanted by Interpol. His current arrest in Cyprus marks a significant turn in a case that has lingered for over a decade.
Defence lawyer Nir Yaslovitzh has raised questions about the timing of the Russian extradition request, labelling it “highly belated.” He argues that the lengthy delay by Russian authorities should heavily influence Kradzgur’s potential release under Cypriot law.
