Lithuania Granted Citizenship to Chizh's Sons. But They Later Renounced It Themselves

Yury Chyzh's sons held Lithuanian citizenship for over ten years. They received passports from the European country when their father, once an influential Belarusian businessman, was under EU sanctions.

As "Buro" found out in partnership with the investigative center Siena, Siarhei and Uladzimir Chyzh had Lithuanian citizenship, but they renounced it. This follows from the decision of the acting Minister of Internal Affairs of Lithuania, published last September.

Yury Chyzh's sons obtained Lithuanian citizenship in the spring of 2013 thanks to relatives.

As stated in the response from the Migration Department of the Lithuanian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Chyzhs' grandmother was a Lithuanian citizen before the Soviet occupation. Their mother, Sviatlana Chyzh, was born in Lithuania already during the occupation.

Uladzimir Chyzh did not wish to state over the phone why he renounced his Lithuanian citizenship. Siarhei Chyzh did not respond to messages or calls from a "Buro" journalist.

Uladzimir Chyzh and Siarhei Chyzh received Lithuanian citizenship when their father, Yury Chyzh, was under EU sanctions as a "wallet" for Aliaksandr Lukashenka. In March 2012, the influential businessman and his assets fell under restrictions, which were lifted only in October 2015.

Before granting citizenship, the Chyzhs were checked by the State Security Department, whose head at the time was Gediminas Grina.

«I don't remember this story at all. If the SSD had nothing to write [about the Chyzhs], then they wrote nothing,» the former head of the SSD told Siena.

The Migration Department clarified: when considering the Chyzhs' citizenship application, Lithuanian authorities assessed whether they had committed international crimes (genocide, war crimes) and crimes against Lithuania.

«At that time, no information was received that would have prevented the restoration of Lithuanian Republic citizenship to the mentioned persons,» the Migration Department of the Lithuanian Ministry of Internal Affairs noted.

Last year, about six hundred Belarusians were recognized as a threat to Lithuania's national security. Many of them were not issued or did not have their residence permits extended. As the Lithuanian SSD explained to the publication "Zerkalo," any work for the state is considered a basis for being deemed a national security threat, as it is a sign of loyalty to the Lukashenka regime.

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