Serbia grants citizenship to sanctioned Russians, raising EU security concerns

According to an investigation by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), the Serbian government has continued an accelerated citizenship program favoring Russian nationals, including individuals sanctioned by the United States and Ukraine. This practice grants them visa-free access to the Schengen Area, prompting fresh warnings from the European Commission.

RFE/RL’s analysis of decisions published in Serbia’s Official Gazette reveals that in the first five months of 2026 alone, 44 Russian nationals received Serbian citizenship through a fast-track government procedure justified as being in Serbia’s “national interest.” Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, more than 300 Russians have obtained Serbian passports this way – far outpacing other nationalities.

This year, the Serbian government has granted citizenship to four times as many Russians as to all other foreign citizens combined. Recipients include athletes, artists, Kremlin-linked businessmen, and sanctioned individuals.

Examples of sanctioned recipients (per RFE/RL)

Valery Kazikaev (granted citizenship 16 January 2026): Sanctioned by the US since April 2023 for business ties to oligarch Alisher Usmanov (linked to companies like Metalloinvest). Also sanctioned by Ukraine. He is described as a senior executive in metals and mining firms connected to Usmanov.
Sergey Kondratenko (granted 13 November 2025): Sanctioned by Ukraine for alleged actions detrimental to national security, including links to Royal Pay Europe (involved in financial services and investigated for asset-related issues in Ukraine).
Igor Kolyushev: A bridge-construction engineer under Ukrainian sanctions since 2022; technical director at a major Russian infrastructure firm.

The Serbian government did not respond to RFE/RL’s questions about these cases. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and embassy in Belgrade also did not immediately comment. The U.S. State Department declined to comment on Kazikaev’s case

Serbia maintains a visa-free regime with Russia and has not joined EU sanctions against Moscow, despite its EU candidate status. Serbian citizenship provides visa-free Schengen access, which critics say circumvents EU restrictions.

EU reaction

The European Commission has expressed concern that the accelerated granting of Serbian citizenship to Russians – enabling visa-free EU entry – poses potential security risks to the bloc

In a comment to Suspilne (Ukrainian public broadcaster, partner of EUalive), Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier stated:

“This is not a new issue. It was already mentioned in our 2025 enlargement report, in which we recommended that Serbia deepen its cooperation with the EU, implement the EU visa policy and ensure thorough scrutiny of visa-free entries of third-country nationals, particularly from countries that pose a security threat or risk of irregular migration.”

Mercier added that the EU remains in dialogue with Serbia on the matter, and alignment of Serbia’s visa regime will continue to be reviewed in future EU reports. He emphasized that while citizenship policy is a sovereign matter for Serbia, the trend raises security challenges for the Union.

This aligns with an earlier European Commission non-paper (reviewed by RFE/RL), which warned that the rising number of such citizenship grants represents a potential security risk, especially given Serbia’s obligation to align with EU foreign policy as an accession candidate.

Experts quoted by RFE/RL, such as Marko Todorović (Centre for European Policy) and Bojana Selaković (National Convention on the EU), argue that the policy undermines Serbia’s EU path, signals ongoing Russian influence, and moves in the opposite direction of EU efforts to tighten scrutiny on Russian travel.

The issue comes amid broader EU-Western Balkans discussions, where Serbia has been urged to choose between closer ties with Russia/China and the EU. Serbia has not opened new accession chapters since late 2021, partly due to foreign policy misalignment.

This development highlights ongoing tensions in Serbia’s dual-track policy of pursuing EU membership while maintaining strong ties with Russia.

With RFE/RL and Suspilne

Caption: Activists wave flags of Russia, North Korea, China and Iran during a solidarity rally in Belgrade, Serbia, 10 March 2026. The rally was organized by the League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia (SKOJ) to voice their stance against external interference in Iran. EPA/ANDREJ CUKIC