Ukrainian businessman, former MP and one of the most famous large investors in the metallurgical industry of Ukraine, Vadym Novinsky, received Serbian citizenship, reports the Serbian business portal Parametar. href="https://www.parametar.rs/posts/ukrajinski-milijarder-vadim-novinski-dobio-drzavljanstvo-srbije">Parametar, the decision to accept Novinski as a citizen of the Republic of Serbia was adopted by the government of the country on September 24, 2026 and published in the official "Official Gazette". The document was signed by the Prime Minister of Serbia, Djuro Matsut.
Novynskyi was born on June 3, 1963 in Stara Rus on the territory of modern Russia, but he built a significant part of his business career in Ukraine. He received Ukrainian citizenship in 2012.
In Ukraine, Novinsky is primarily known as the founder of Smart Holding and a long-term partner of Rinat Akhmetova's SCM group in the Metinvest mining and metallurgical group. Smart Holding owned a 23.76% stake in Metinvest. The group's business interests also included shipbuilding, the agricultural sector, real estate and other areas.
At the end of 2022, Novinsky announced the transfer of his assets to a trust. "Metinvest" later stated that Novinsky is not a beneficiary of the company and does not exercise actual control over it.
Novinsky was also involved in political activities. In 2013–2022, he was a People's Deputy of Ukraine for several convocations, was a member of the faction of the Party of Regions, and later the "Opposition Bloc".
In December 2022, Ukraine introduced personal sanctions against Novinsky. In January 2025, the State Bureau of Investigation and the Security Service of Ukraine informed the former People's Deputy of suspicion of treason and inciting religious enmity. Ukrainian mass media identified the suspect as Vadym Novinskyi. The businessman himself rejected the charges brought against him and called them politically motivated.
In June 2025, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies also announced an investigation into possible tax evasion in the amount of over UAH 4 billion against a former deputy, identified by the media as Novinsky. Currently, we are talking about suspicions and investigations, and not about convictions that have gained legal force.
After the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Novinsky publicly spoke out against the war.
Serbian authorities have so far not publicly revealed the detailed motives for granting Novinsky citizenship and have not reported on the businessman's possible investment projects in Serbia.
Source: Serbian business portal Parametar.
