Relatives of Vladimir Putin Ally Ramzan Kadyrov Receive Serbian Passports

The Serbian government has officially granted citizenship to the sister and nephew of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov under a special national interest clause, the Serbian outlet Nedeljnik reported on April 27.

At its latest session, the government approved citizenship for Kadyrov’s sister, Zulaj, and her son, Jakub Zakriev. The decision was signed by the country’s Prime Minister Đuro Macut. The official explanation cited a legal provision allowing citizenship for foreigners whose admission represents an “interest to the Republic of Serbia,” though officials did not clarify what specific interest the Chechen leader’s relatives serve.

Zakriev, Kadyrov’s nephew, currently manages the confiscated Russian assets of the French multinational company Danone. Following Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s decree in July 2023 to temporarily take over Danone’s Russian branch, Zakriev was appointed director of the subsidiary, Nedeljnik noted.

Before taking over the dairy giant, Zakriev served as the mayor of Grozny, Kadyrov’s chief of staff, and Chechnya’s minister of agriculture.

This is not the first time Kadyrov’s inner circle has secured Serbian passports. According to the investigative portal Krick, as cited by Nedeljnik, Zakriev’s close associate Ruslan Alisultanov received Serbian citizenship in March 2024 under a decree signed by former Prime Minister Ana Brnabic. Alisultanov previously served as Grozny’s deputy mayor and Chechnya’s deputy minister of agriculture. His two sons and two daughters were also granted citizenship.

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Serbia has a documented history of granting citizenship to Russian oligarchs and individuals under international sanctions. Kadyrov himself rules Chechnya with Putin’s backing and is widely accused of brutally suppressing dissidents while branding himself as the Russian president’s most loyal soldier in the ongoing war against Ukraine.

By taking over Western assets in Russia, Kadyrov’s inner circle—specifically Zakriev and Alisultanov—essentially acquired a multi-billion-dollar enterprise with zero financial investment, amassing vast personal wealth in the process.

It was previously revealed that Zakriev recently purchased a $13.3 million estate outside Moscow and holds $20 million in personal bank deposits. His associate Alisultanov profited even more, securing over $50 million in Gazprombank deposits and a $40 million penthouse near the Kremlin. Exposing this state-sponsored corporate looting has already led to the arrest of Russian journalist Oleg Roldugin, who was detained on dubious cyber charges in an apparent effort to protect the newly enriched Chechen elites.

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