Bosnia and Herzegovina has decided not to grant citizenship to Ilya Perekopsky, the Russian vice president of the messaging platform Telegram, after the proposal was removed from the agenda of the Council of Ministers.
Edin Forto, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Minister of Transport and Communications, confirmed to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that the proposal to award citizenship to Perekopsky was withdrawn during Thursday’s government session.
Perekopsky, a Russian national and one of Telegram’s senior executives, had applied for Bosnian citizenship under a legal provision allowing naturalization for individuals considered to be of special importance to the country.
The application was submitted following a recommendation from the Chamber of Commerce of Republika Srpska, which argued that Perekopsky could make a positive contribution to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s economic development.
According to the recommendation, one of the key reasons for supporting the application was Perekopsky’s reported intention to acquire shares in Banja Luka-based company EVA Genesis. The company has announced plans to invest in digital marketing, communications, information technology, and the fashion industry.
EVA Genesis is owned by Russian national Lyudmila Budilova, who was granted Bosnian citizenship in September 2025 under the same “special national interest” provision after receiving a recommendation from the Republika Srpska Chamber of Commerce.
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ministry of Civil Affairs previously confirmed that security assessments related to Perekopsky’s application had been requested from the country’s Intelligence-Security Agency, the Foreigners’ Affairs Service, and the Legislative Office of the Council of Ministers. However, the findings and conclusions of those security reviews have not been made public.
Perekopsky is one of the closest associates of Telegram founder Pavel Durov. Before joining Telegram, he held a senior management position at the Russian social media platform VKontakte.
The decision not to proceed with his citizenship application comes amid heightened scrutiny across Europe over security, foreign influence, and investment involving Russian nationals.
