A number of influential Russians connected to the Federal Security Service (FSB), as well as profiteers from the war in Ukraine and oligarchs whose companies have been sanctioned over the past three and a half years, have received Serbian citizenship outside of standard procedures – with a special decision of the Serbian government, which states that this is “in the national interest” of Serbia. This scandal was uncovered by the investigative platforms Krik (Serbia) and “Important Stories” (Russia). According to them, in this way, a total of 204 Russian citizens, men and women, have become citizens of Serbia under a special measure and have managed to circumvent travel restrictions imposed on them by the European Union. The Serbian government justifies the granting of citizenship on the grounds of national interests.
Among the beneficiaries is, for example, Ivan Sibirev, the head of the company "R-stroj" that has developed projects in war-torn cities in Ukraine, who has obtained Serbian citizenship despite European Union sanctions against his company. Viktor Shendrik, a former member of the FSB and former head of security for Russian oligarchs Arkady and Boris Rotenberg, has also obtained Serbian citizenship. He is known to be a sponsor of a neo-Nazi division of football club fans who are fighting against Ukraine.
Another beneficiary is Dmitry Sergeyev, a close friend of the son of notorious FSB general Nikolai Patrushev. Sergeyev has collaborated with former Serbian minister Aleksandar Vulin in persecuting the Russian opposition in Belgrade and forming a working group to combat “color revolutions.”
These cases point to a practice of granting Serbian citizenship to individuals linked to Russian security structures and to controversial activities in the context of the war in Ukraine. This has raised concerns about Russia's potential influence on Serbia's politics and security, as well as the consequences this could have on the country's European integration process, write Krik (Serbia) and "Important Stories" (Russia).
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