An analysis by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) indicates that the Serbian government has significantly increased the issuance of citizenship to Russian nationals since the start of the year, granting citizenship to four times more Russian citizens than to all other foreign nationals combined. The government cites “interests” for Serbia as the justification for these decisions. Among the recipients are individuals subject to international sanctions.
For instance, Valerij Kazikajev, who received Serbian citizenship in January, is listed under US sanctions due to business ties with Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov. Similarly, Sergey Kondratenko, who obtained Serbian citizenship in November 2025, is subject to Ukrainian sanctions for actions deemed detrimental to national interests. Igor Kolyushev, a Russian construction engineer, has been under Ukrainian sanctions since 2022.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and the Ukrainian Embassy in Belgrade have not provided immediate responses regarding the citizenship grants to sanctioned persons. The Serbian government has continued this trend despite warnings from Brussels, which noted that such grants could facilitate visa-free entry to the European Union. A recent European Commission document warned that the accelerated granting of visa-free travel to EU members via Serbian citizenship poses a potential security risk.
Concerns have been raised because Serbia, a candidate country for EU membership, has not implemented visas for Russian citizens nor joined the sanctions imposed by the EU following the invasion of Ukraine. The US sanctions against Kazikajev, for example, relate to his connections with companies linked to Usmanov. These instances highlight a pattern of Serbia granting status to individuals facing international financial restrictions.
Topics: #serbia #serbian #government
