Serbia Revokes Citizenship of Chechen Leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s Nephew After Five Days

Jakub Salmanovich Zakriyev, nephew of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, received Serbian citizenship on 27 April 2024 and lost it five days later. Prime Minister Duro Macut signed the revocation on 28 April, and the decision appeared in Official Gazette, citing national-security concerns.

HE WAS A “SERB” FOR ONLY FIVE DAYS: The Government of Serbia revoked the citizenship of Ramzan Kadyrov’s nephew, he became a “security threat”!United24 MediaUnited24 Media

The grant used Article 19, paragraph 1 of the Citizenship Law, permitting naturalisation when a foreigner’s admission “would represent an interest for the Republic of Serbia.” The revocation cited Article 184 of the General Administrative Procedure Law, allowing cancellation if a decision creates a “serious and immediate danger” to public safety, health, order or economy. Officials did not disclose the interest that justified the grant.

HE WAS A “SERB” FOR ONLY FIVE DAYS: The Government of Serbia revoked the citizenship of Ramzan Kadyrov’s nephew, he became a “security threat”!

Jakub Zakriyev, son of Kadyrov’s sister Zulay, was Grozny mayor (2018), Kadyrov’s chief of staff (2020), and Chechnya’s deputy prime minister and agriculture minister (Nov 2020). He now heads Danone Russia, renamed “Health & Nutrition.” Ruslan Alisultanov, former deputy minister of agriculture and deputy mayor of Grozny, received Serbian citizenship in March 2024. Zakriyev owns a $13.3 million Moscow-area estate and $20 million in deposits; Alisultanov holds over $53 million in deposits, a $40 million Kremlin-adjacent penthouse and more than $50 million in Gazprombank accounts.

United24 MediaUnited24 MediaHE WAS A “SERB” FOR ONLY FIVE DAYS: The Government of Serbia revoked the citizenship of Ramzan Kadyrov’s nephew, he became a “security threat”!

The rapid cancellation marks a shift from Zakriyev’s status as a person of national interest to a security risk. Officials did not clarify the interest that justified the original grant, raising transparency concerns. The case reflects a Serbian pattern of issuing passports to Russian oligarchs and sanctioned figures, prompting scrutiny of vetting standards and international implications.

United24 Media

• “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.” — Article 19, Citizenship Law

United24 Media

• “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.” — Article 184, Administrative Procedure Law

United24 Media

• “Now, through his company ‘Health & Nutrition’ (formerly ‘Danone Russia’), he owns assets previously vacated by the French company Danone…” — KRIK

HE WAS A “SERB” FOR ONLY FIVE DAYS: The Government of Serbia revoked the citizenship of Ramzan Kadyrov’s nephew, he became a “security threat”!

• “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.” — United24Media

United24 Media

As of the latest reports, no further legal steps have been reported concerning Zakriyev or Alisultanov.

United24 Media