Putin granted Russian citizenship to a suspect in war crimes in Bosnia

Russian President Vladimir Putin granted Russian citizenship to 44 foreign citizens of different countries. Among them are a suspect in war crimes, a former contender for the title of world boxing champion, a journalist from the RT channel and a Croatian medical worker who moved to Donetsk occupied by separatists.

The presidential decree was published on the official portal of legal information. In the name of the president in Russia, all decrees on granting or revoking citizenship are signed.

This time on the list:

— Former junior officer of the army of Yugoslavia Ratko Samac. In 1992–1995 he participated in the Bosnian war. Bosnia and Herzegovina accused him of committing war crimes against civilians and demanded his extradition. In 1999, he was detained by the FSB and Interpol, but later released;

— American heavyweight boxer Kevin Johnson. In 2009, the 44-year-old athlete lost the fight for the WBC world champion title to Ukrainian Vitaliy Klitschko. Klitschko defended his title. The sports press then reported that the Ukrainian had chosen a comfortable opponent who would not cause him any serious problems. Klitschko now holds the position of city head (mayor) of Kyiv;

— Brendan Leipsic, a Canadian forward of the St. Petersburg club of the Kontinental Hockey League SKA. In 2012, Leipsic was selected in the National Hockey League draft with the 89th pick by the Nashville Predators. He played 187 matches in the league, for five different teams, scored 59 points (16 goals + 43 assists). He played for CSKA and Magnitogorsk “Metallurg”. In 2022, the KHL introduced a limit on legionnaires. After that, Putin already granted citizenship to three hockey players: before Leipsic, they were defensemen of “Dynamo” American Brennan Menell and “Amur” Canadian Cameron Lee;

— journalist and presenter of the Russian RT channel Peter Lavelle; to the American Andrey Leo Kalageorgi, who participated in the broadcasts of state channels, who calls himself a descendant of Catherine II and her favorite Grigory Potemkin;

— Mirella Jakupanec, a medical worker from Croatia. She moved to Donetsk, Ukraine, then controlled by pro-Russian separatists, where she works as a nurse. In 2022, the Russian mass media claimed that a criminal case had been opened against her family.