How did Ramzan Kadyrov's nephew become a citizen of Serbia in four days?

2026-05-05 16:51:26Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Yakub Zakriyev, the nephew of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, was a citizen of Serbia for only four days.

The Serbian government did not respond to Radio Free Europe's questions about why citizenship was granted and then revoked from the nephew of the leader of the Russian republic and close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Zakriyev is on the US and UK sanctions list due to his involvement in Russian institutions.

Also under sanctions by the US and the European Union is the leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, who for years has faced accusations of serious human rights violations, including kidnappings, torture, murder and persecution of the LGBT community.

The decision to grant citizenship to his nephew was signed on April 24 by Serbian Prime Minister Gjuro Macut.

"This cannot be explained by rational politics," says former Serbian diplomat Sreqko Djukic.

"It's personal interest, paying off debt to Russia and Kadyrov," he adds to Radio Free Europe.

Macut, four days after the decision to grant citizenship, also signed the decision to revoke it.

For the latest action, the Serbian Government referred to the Law on General Administrative Procedure.

This law states that the decision may be repealed "to eliminate a serious and immediate danger to the life and health of people, public safety, public order and tranquility, or to avoid disturbances in the economy."

Djukic believes that Serbia withdrew the decision on citizenship due to warnings from the European Union.

"It is clear that Serbia is required to stop the practice of granting citizenships, so that the European Union does not impose certain measures," he says.

The EU did not respond to Radio Free Europe's request for comment on the decision to grant and then revoke citizenship to the nephew of the Chechen leader.

Serbia, even in previous years, has granted citizenship through a special procedure, according to which citizens of other countries can acquire it if such a thing represents an "interest for Serbia."

More than 150 Russians, after the invasion of Ukraine, have obtained Serbian citizenship.

The European Union, in its 2025 report, has warned Belgrade that this poses a potential security risk to the EU, as Russian citizens, in this way, gain the right to visa-free travel to the EU.

Although it is a candidate for EU membership, Serbia maintains close relations with Russia and has not joined the sanctions against this country, due to its invasion of Ukraine.

Who is Yakub Zakriyev?

Ibrahim Zakriyev, also known as Yakub, became one of the youngest mayors in Russia – at the age of 27.

In 2018, he was appointed mayor of Grozny – the capital of Chechnya.

Në shkurt të vitit 2020, ai mori detyrën e shefit të administratës së presidentit dhe Qeverisë së Çeçenisë, dhe më pas u bë zëvendëskryeministër dhe ministër i Bujqësisë.

Zakriyev u emërua edhe drejtor i degës ruse të kompanisë franceze Danone, pasi Rusia e konfiskoi atë.

Menjëherë pas transferimit të pronësisë, Danone në Rusi u riemërua në shoqërinë aksionare H&N (Health & Nutrition).

Në mars të vitit 2024, Putin e anuloi nacionalizimin e Danone-s, ndërsa mediat ruse raportuan se ishte arritur marrëveshje për shitjen e saj te persona privatë.

Sipas raportimeve, pronësia duhej të ndahej 50:50 mes nipit të Kadyrovit dhe kompanisë Vamin nga Tatarstani.

Në maj të vitit 2024, shitja e degës ruse të Danone-s përfundoi dhe ajo i kaloi kompanisë Vamin.

Sipas një deklarate të vitit 2023 nga Departamenti amerikan i Shtetit, Zakriyev gjendet në listën e sanksioneve për shkak të lidhjeve me familjen e Ramzan Kadyrovit, si dhe për faktin se ka qenë “drejtues i degës ruse të një kompanie evropiane, pasi Federata Ruse i konfiskoi asetet e saj”.

Dhënia e shtetësisë, “jotransparente”

Për ish-diplomatin Gjukiq, dhënia e shtetësisë në Serbi është jotransparente dhe ngre “shumë pyetje dhe dyshime”.

Gjukiq thekson se në shumicën e rasteve, është e paqartë se çfarë interesi ka Serbia në dhënien e shtetësisë qytetarëve rusë, pasi autoritetet nuk i shpjegojnë publikisht vendimet e tilla.

Në këtë rast specifik, ai beson se Serbia, “në parim”, nuk kishte interes t’i jepte shtetësinë Zakriyevit.

Por, shton se kjo nuk është hera e parë që Serbia i jep shtetësi “një qytetari rus nën sanksione, ose dikujt nga rrethi i tij i ngushtë që është nën sanksione”.

Kush mori shtetësinë serbe?

Së paku katër qytetarë rusë morën shtetësinë serbe edhe pse ishin nën sanksione nga Britania e Madhe dhe Kanadaja në atë kohë, raportoi rrjeti hulumtues BIRN, në vitin 2025.

Atë vit, Radio Evropa e Lirë raportoi se shtetësia serbe iu dha edhe Iman Sumajdovna Khalidovës, e cila, sipas të gjitha të dhënave, është vajza e Sumajdov Khalidovit – sipërmarrës dhe atlet nga Çeçenia.

Në maj të vitit 2023, edhe vetë Khalidov mori shtetësinë serbe përmes një procedure të veçantë.

Në fillim të gushtit të vitit 2022, biznesmeni rus, Oleg Cherepanov, mori pasaportën serbe, dhe në fund të korrikut, Arkady Mutavchi, ish-drejtor ekzekutiv i një furnizuesi për Departamentin e Menaxhimit të Pronave të Kremlinit, mori gjithashtu pasaportën serbe.

Numri i shtetësive të dhëna nga Qeveria e Serbisë u rrit ndjeshëm që nga fillimi i pushtimit rus të Ukrainës, më 2022, dhe pas vendosjes së sanksioneve ndaj Rusisë dhe njerëzve të afërt me Kremlinin.

Nga viti 2010 deri në vitin 2015, midis pesë dhe 13 personave iu dha shtetësia serbe brenda një viti, ndërsa viti i parë i luftës në Ukrainë solli një numër rekord vendimesh për dhënien e shtetësisë: 64.

Që atëherë, më shumë se 150 shtetësi serbe iu dhanë vetëm qytetarëve rusë.

Paralajmërimet nga Brukseli

The European Union has warned several times against the practice of issuing Serbian passports to Russian citizens.

The latest enlargement report for 2025 assessed that Serbia's visa policy is not fully in line with that of the European Union and that granting passports to Russian citizens is "cause for concern".

"Strict security checks should be implemented when granting Serbian citizenship to Russian citizens, as Serbian passport holders benefit from visa-free travel to the EU," the report said.

In this context, the EU made several recommendations to Serbia to further align with the EU's visa policy.

Chechnya-Serbia relations

Chechen officials have visited Serbia several times in recent years.

Dzhambulat Umarov, former deputy prime minister of the Russian republic of Chechnya and minister of information, presented his book in 2023 at the Russian center for science and culture in Belgrade, known as the Russian House.

Umarov is a close associate of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

In November 2022, the representative of the head of Chechnya in Arab and Muslim countries, Turko Daudov, visited Serbia, where he also met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vu?i?.

Daudov wrote at the time on his Instagram page that he conveyed Kadyrov's greetings to Vu?i? and the entire Serbian people.

He said that "the centuries-old fraternal relations between Russia and Serbia have once again demonstrated their strength."

In response, Vu?i? stated that the Russian people are fraternal towards the Serbs and that these relations "cannot be destroyed under any pressure."

At the time, it was not known what the main purpose of the meeting was and the topic of conversation between the two politicians.

In January of that year, a delegation from Serbia visited Chechnya and the countries decided to cooperate in boxing.

According to a statement from the Serbian Boxing Federation, Kadyrov intended to organize training for the Serbian and Russian national teams in Grozny and further develop relations with Belgrade "for the benefit of both countries."

In 2021, an initiative to establish a religious school in Novi Pazar, in southwestern Serbia, was also publicly mentioned, which would be named after Akhmad Kadyrov, the Chechen leader's late father.

But, for now, there is no official information regarding the implementation of this initiative. (REL_


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