The independent Russian news site IStories, working with its Serbian contemporary, KRIK, have uncovered more than 200 Russian nationals who have been granted Serbian citizenship “in the nation’s interest” since President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to their investigation, the “nationalization” for a total of 204 individuals, was agreed to without the need for the normal residency qualification or the renouncing of their Russian citizenship between early 2022 and April this year.
Article 19 of Serbia’s citizenship laws permits accelerated naturalization for individuals that have “special merits,” which, according to the Financial Times, has been criticized by the European Commission, which has warned Belgrade that its participation in the EU’s visa-free regime could be suspended if it persists in relaxing its passport rules for Russian nationals.
The extent of Belgrade’s “bending of the rules” is highlighted by Jana Polak, an immigration lawyer, who says it should be impossible to “buy a golden visa.” As well as being required to prove a certain level of investment, applicants must have been resident for a total of six years; three as “temporary residents” and three after being granted permanent residency.
The report says among those individuals granted citizenship are those with close links to the Kremlin, along with Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya’s warlord, executives from the state defense conglomerate Rostec, and heads of companies awarded construction projects in occupied Ukrainian territories.
Others include elite Russian sportsmen, former executives from sanctioned Russian defense firms, nuclear weapons manufacturers’ banks, and a former FSB operator who reportedly acted as a bodyguard to Putin and his billionaire pals Arkady and Boris Rotenberg, along with their spouses and children.
As a result of their new nationalities, most, if not all, not only avoid being sanctioned by the West but their Serbian passports allow them to freely travel throughout the 29 members of the EU’s Schengen Area.
Ilya Shumanov, former head of Transparency International Russia, suggested the mass passport issuance could be part of a covert Moscow-Belgrade arrangement in which Russia provides financial support to Serbian authorities – allegations that the government denies.