Venezuela's Supreme Court has declared it will consider extraditing a Russian national and prominent Ukraine supporter to Moscow on terrorism charges, in yet another case that illustrates the deepening ties between Nicolás Maduro's government and the Kremlin.

The court announced on August 7 that it had deemed "admissible" a Russian extradition request for Leonid Alexandrovich Zakamaldin, a Ukrainian-born activist who has spent more than a year detained in Caracas under what his family describes as increasingly dire conditions.

Moscow is pursuing Zakamaldin on charges of making "public calls to carry out terrorist activities" and inciting action "against the security of the Russian Federation" through digital channels — accusations that stem from his vocal support for Ukraine following Russia's full-scale invasion.

Whilst the Venezuelan court has agreed to process Zakamaldin's extradition request, it stipulated that he must first face any charges and serve potential sentences within Venezuela before being transferred to Russian custody. He remains in preventive detention.

The decision comes despite the lack of a formal extradition treaty between Caracas and Moscow. The court instead invoked Article 382 of Venezuela's criminal procedure code and the 1928 Bustamante Code, a Latin American judicial cooperation agreement, to justify its ruling.

Zakamaldin's path to a Venezuelan jail cell reads like a cautionary tale of geopolitical displacement. After leaving Russia for Ukraine in 2014, he found himself unwelcome in his adopted homeland when the war broke out in February 2022. Ukrainian authorities reportedly revoked his residency, froze his bank accounts and seized three flats he owned there.

Cast adrift, the activist split his time between family in New York and Bali, where he tended to a collection of otters that attracted nearly 200,000 followers on Instagram — an unlikely platform for someone now accused of terrorism-related offences.

His Venezuelan troubles began in 2023 when he sought citizenship there, apparently hoping it might facilitate an eventual return to Ukraine despite Caracas' long-standing close ties with Moscow. According to his family, he enlisted the services of one Dmitry Rogovskiy, who presented himself as an expert in Venezuelan investments and citizenship matters. The arrangement went awry when Rogovskiy was detained on document forgery charges, leaving Zakamaldin exposed.

The activist flew to Caracas in May 2024. Two months later, Venezuelan authorities detained him at the airport, acting on the Russian extradition request.

This mirrors Venezuela's detention and transfer to Moscow last year of two Colombian nationals who had fought with Ukrainian forces. Jose Aron Aranda Medina and Alexander Ante were arrested at Caracas airport in July 2024 whilst transiting in Ukrainian military uniforms, then handed to Russian authorities without formal extradition proceedings. They now face up to 15 years in prison on mercenary charges.

A potential lifeline emerged this week when Germany's foreign ministry signalled its interest in the case, according to posts on Zakamaldin's Instagram account, though Berlin has yet to clarify what assistance it might offer. Meanwhile, his defence team announced it will appeal the decision.

The case comes as the sanctions-hit regime of President Nicolás Maduro, who was re-elected last year for a third term amid widespread allegations of fraud, continues to deepen relationships with nations opposed to Western influence.