The Serbian government has granted citizenship to Jakub Zakrijev, the 35-year-old cousin of Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-aligned leader of Chechnya, according to documents published in the country's Official Gazette this week.
Prime Minister Đuro Macut signed the naturalization decision, utilizing an expedited legal procedure reserved for cases where "the admission of a foreigner to citizenship represents an interest for the Republic of Serbia." The government has not publicly explained what specific Serbian interest is served by granting citizenship to a senior Chechen official closely connected to the Kremlin.
Zakrijev became mayor of Grozny, the Chechen capital, in 2018. More recently, in July 2023, he was appointed head of the Russian subsidiary of French company Danone, following President Vladimir Putin's decree seizing the subsidiary—a move that exemplified Moscow's appropriation of Western business assets after the invasion of Ukraine.
In Russia, as in much of the former Soviet space, understanding requires reading between the lines. Serbia's decision continues a pattern of providing citizenship to figures in Moscow's orbit. Ruslan Alisultanov, described as Zakrijev's close associate and former deputy mayor of Grozny, received Serbian citizenship in 2024, along with his four children. Alisultanov previously served as deputy minister of agriculture in Chechnya.
The move reflects Serbia's delicate balancing act in the Balkans. While officially seeking European Union membership, Belgrade maintains close ties with Moscow and has declined to join Western sanctions against Russia. Serbian authorities have previously granted citizenship to Russian oligarchs facing international sanctions, creating what observers describe as a safe haven for Kremlin-connected elites.
Kadyrov, who has ruled Chechnya with an iron fist since 2007, has been a vocal supporter of Russia's war in Ukraine, dispatching Chechen forces to fight alongside Russian troops. His extended family and close associates occupy key positions throughout the regional government and economy, operating what analysts characterize as a clan-based patronage system within the Russian Federation.
The citizenship grant raises questions about the growing network of post-Soviet elites securing alternative residencies and passports in countries that maintain friendly relations with Moscow. Serbia, which shares historical Orthodox Christian and Slavic ties with Russia, has emerged as a preferred destination for such arrangements, even as it nominally pursues integration with Western institutions.
