Media: Nephew of Chechen leader receives Serbian citizenship

The Serbian government has granted citizenship to Yakub Zakriev, the nephew of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. According to Serbian publications Direktno and Nedeljnik, the decision was made by Prime Minister Djuro Matsut and was based on the country's "interests," although these "interests" were not specified.

Zakriev, who held several high-ranking positions in Chechnya and headed the Russian division of Danone, was previously included on US and UK sanctions lists.

Yakub Zakriev's career began early: at 27, he became mayor of Grozny, then headed the administration of the head and government of the republic, and also served as Minister of Agriculture. In July 2023, he became head of Danone's Russian division after President Putin signed a decree transferring shares in the French company to the temporary management of the Federal Property Management Agency.

Following Danone's renaming to JSC H&N in March 2024, the nationalization was cancelled and the sale of the asset to private individuals was approved. According to media reports, Kadyrov's nephew and the Tatarstan dairy holding company Vamin were to become co-owners. The deal was closed in May 2024. It's worth noting that in December 2024, Ruslan Alisultanov, the former deputy minister of agriculture in Chechnya, became the owner of Vamin. According to Vazhnye Istorii, he also received Serbian citizenship.

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