Persons associated with Russian services, beneficiaries of the war in Ukraine and oligarchs, whose companies have been sanctioned for 3 and a half years, received Serbia's citizenship in the government's argument that This is in the interest of the country. As a result, they avoided travel restrictions imposed by the European Union,” explained the CRIK, in a text describing the investigation of the organization and the Russian independent service of the crucial Istoria.
‘For influential Russians, obtaining Serbian citizenship was no problem, although did not meet the required criteria. The government in Belgrade granted Russian citizenship outside the procedure in force for foreigners, justifying this with the Serbian national interest," he noted.
One of them was Ivan Sibirov, arms dealer who developed activities in war-torn cities of Ukraine “ Mr KRIK pointed out. Another is Viktor Szendrik, a erstwhile FSB officer who oversaw safety on the Russian Railways and in businesses close to Putin the oligarchs of the Rotenberg brothers. Szendrik besides sponsors neo-Nazi militias fighting Kiev forces. The Serbian passport besides received, among others, Ruslan Alisultanov, a erstwhile advanced authoritative in Chechnya.
The decision to grant citizenship from the beginning of 2022 to April 2025 shows that they were received outside the regular procedure. 204 Russian citizens. They did not even gotta live in Serbia or quit their passports,” wrote the CRIK.
