Relationship dossier
Croatia
Russia
Relationship assessment
Croatia–Russia relations deteriorated sharply after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Croatia toward Russia
-45Croatia implemented EU sanctions against Russia after the invasion of Ukraine and declared 18 Russian diplomats persona non grata in 2022.
Russia toward Croatia
-45Russia designated Croatia an “unfriendly” state in 2022 and declared four Croatian diplomats persona non grata that year.
Overall relationship
-40The relationship is shaped by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting sanctions and reciprocal diplomatic expulsions. These measures have displaced earlier bilateral engagement and produced sustained political friction.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Croatia’s relationship with Russia has become substantially adversarial since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Croatia has implemented EU sanctions and supported Ukraine, while expelling Russian diplomats. Russia designated Croatia an “unfriendly” state and expelled Croatian diplomats in response. These measures mark a sharp deterioration from earlier bilateral engagement.
Areas of tension
- Croatia’s implementation of EU sanctions against Russia.
- Russia’s designation of Croatia as an “unfriendly” state.
- Reciprocal expulsions of diplomats in 2022.
Key developments
Croatia declared 18 Russian diplomats persona non grata following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia designated Croatia an “unfriendly” state and expelled four Croatian diplomats.
Major uncertainties
- The extent of bilateral economic and diplomatic engagement before 2022 is unclear.
- The scope and implementation of current bilateral restrictions and remaining cooperation are unclear.