Serbia grants citizenship to 204 Russians, bypasses EU rules
Russians associated with the Federal Security Service (FSB) and beneficiaries of the war in Ukraine received Serbian citizenship by bypassing standard procedures, reported KRIK, a non-governmental organization dedicated to investigating crime and corruption, on Thursday.
What do you need to know?
- Who received citizenship? Serbia granted citizenship to 204 Russians.
- Why were procedures bypassed? The Serbian government justified the decisions by citing national interest.
- What are the consequences? These individuals avoided travel restrictions imposed by the European Union.
What are the reasons for granting citizenship?
Individuals associated with Russian services, beneficiaries of the war in Ukraine, and oligarchs whose companies have been sanctioned for the past three and a half years received Serbian citizenship under the government's claim that it serves the country's "interest." This applies to 204 Russian men and women who bypassed travel restrictions imposed by the European Union, explained KRIK, in a report that describes the research conducted by the organization and the Russian independent service Important Stories.
"For influential Russians, obtaining Serbian citizenship posed no problem, even though they did not meet the required criteria. The government in Belgrade granted Russians citizenship outside the usual procedure for foreigners, justifying it with Serbian national interest," it was noted.
Who received Serbian citizenship?
One of them was Ivan Sibir, an arms dealer who is expanding his operations in war-torn Ukrainian cities, according to KRIK. Another is Viktor Shendrik, a former FSB officer who supervised security at the Russian Railways and businesses of oligarchs close to Putin, namely the Rotenberg brothers. Shendrik also sponsors neo-Nazi militias fighting against Kyiv's forces.
The Serbian passport was also granted, among others, to Ruslan Alisultanov, a former high-ranking official in Chechnya.
Citizenship outside procedure
From the decision to grant citizenship at the beginning of 2022 until April 2025, it appears that 204 Russian citizens received it outside the regular procedure. These individuals did not even have to reside in Serbia or renounce other passports, wrote KRIK.
