Russians and Belarusians Face Administrative Limbo and Statelessness in Serbia

Administrative Hurdles for Russian and Belarusian Nationals in Serbia

• 🇷🇺 Belarusians and Russians who moved to Serbia are facing significant administrative delays in obtaining Serbian citizenship.
• ⏳ Individuals like Sergey, who have lived in Serbia for 10 years, applied for citizenship in October 2023 and are now facing an indefinite wait, effectively becoming stateless.
• 📜 These individuals were assured by the Serbian state that renouncing their original nationality would lead to obtaining Serbian citizenship, but their applications are now blocked without explanation.

Formation of an Informal Support Group

• 🤝 Recognizing a shared problem, individuals like Arena founded an informal group of 27 members to exchange information and collectively address their situation.
• 🌍 The group comprises individuals with diverse professions, political views, and backgrounds, united by their common struggle for citizenship.
• ✍️ Their initial actions included writing to the President of the Republic and the Minister of the Interior to highlight their plight.

Security Agency Involvement and Delays

• ⚠️ Arena received a different explanation from the Serbian ombudsman, indicating that the Security Intelligence Agency (BIA) flagged a problem with applications.
• 🕵️ A Russian activist in Serbia, Peter Nicotin, suggests this involvement is linked to agreements between Serbian and Russian security services to monitor opposition figures.
• 🚫 Despite lacking legal grounds to reject applications, the Ministry of the Interior and BIA are reportedly choosing to delay decisions rather than grant citizenship.

Personal Impact and Legal Concerns

• 🚴 Sergey, denied citizenship, lost his position as coach of the Serbian cycling team and now works unstable jobs, like food delivery, due to his lack of official papers.
• ⚖️ He expresses a sense of injustice, feeling rejected and trapped in an endless waiting room despite the law being on their side.
• 🌐 Serbia's actions are noted to potentially violate international conventions against statelessness, even as reports surface of convenience passports being issued to individuals close to Putin.