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Kadyrov’s Nephew’s Serbian Citizenship Revoked Five Days After It Was Granted
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The Serbian government has officially revoked the citizenship of Jakub Salmanovich Zakrijev, the nephew of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Zakrijev held his Serbian passport for only five days before the decision was overturned.
Prime Minister Djuro Macut signed the resolution to cancel the citizenship on April 28, citing specific articles of the Law on General Administrative Procedure and the Law on the Government, according to N1.
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Jakub Zakrijev is the son of Kadyrov’s older sister, Zulay. He has held several high-ranking positions in Chechnya, including serving as the mayor of Grozny at the age of 27.
He later became the head of the regional leader’s office and was eventually appointed as the deputy prime minister and minister of agriculture for Chechnya. His uncle, Ramzan Kadyrov, is a prominent ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
When the Serbian government initially granted Zakrijev citizenship, they referred to Article 19, paragraph 1 of the Law on Citizenship. This law states that "a foreigner whose admission to the citizenship of the Republic of Serbia would represent an interest for the Republic of Serbia may also be admitted to the citizenship of the Republic of Serbia." However, the government changed its position less than 24 hours after media outlets began reporting on the matter.
To justify the reversal, the government cited Article 184 of the Law on General Administrative Procedure. This legal provision allows an authority to cancel a decision "if it has become enforceable, and the cancellation is necessary to eliminate a serious and immediate danger to human life and health, public safety, public peace and public order, or to eliminate economic disturbances, if the purpose of the cancellation cannot be successfully eliminated by other means that less affect acquired rights."
Reports indicate that other close associates of Zakrijev have also sought or obtained Serbian status. Ruslan Alisultanov, a former deputy minister of agriculture in Chechnya, became a Serbian citizen in March 2024. Alisultanov currently manages assets previously owned by the French company Danone in Russia. His family members were also granted Serbian citizenship.
The rapid cancellation of Zakrijev’s documents marks a shift from his status as a person of national interest to one considered a potential risk to national security. This development follows a pattern of Kadyrov’s relatives receiving various awards and positions within the Chechen administration, including medals for the centenary of the Chechen Republic.
Earlier, following the state-sponsored seizure of French food giant Danone’s operations in Russia, Jakub Zakriev, and his associate Ruslan Alisultanov emerged as billionaires. In July 2023, Zakriev was appointed head of the rebranded subsidiary, where he reportedly paid himself millions in bonuses and acquired a $13.3 million estate outside Moscow.
His associate Alisultanov, who was listed as the sole beneficiary of the company, opened bank deposits worth over $53 million and purchased a penthouse near the Kremlin. This rapid accumulation of wealth followed Putin's decree transferring the management of the multi-billion dollar enterprise to Kadyrov’s inner circle with virtually zero financial investment.
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