A 20-year-old man from Australia has drawn global attention after declaring himself president of a self-proclaimed country located on disputed land between Serbia and Croatia.
Daniel Jackson says he founded the “Free Republic of Verdis” in 2019 on a small uninhabited piece of land known as “Pocket 3,” an area left unclaimed following border disagreements that emerged after the Croatian War of Independence ended in 1995.
Speaking in an interview with [NBC News], Jackson said the idea first came to him as a teenager before eventually becoming a serious project after he turned 18.
According to him, Verdis aims to become a neutral state focused on humanitarian work, innovation, and experimental systems of governance.
“We want to be a hub for NGOs and humanitarian work,” Jackson said, adding that the project was inspired partly by people involved in aid work in Ukraine.
The self-declared nation currently exists mainly online, where people can apply for citizenship through its website. Jackson claims that more than 15,000 people have already applied, while hundreds have reportedly received Verdis passports and identification documents.
However, neither Croatia nor Serbia officially recognizes Verdis as a country. Jackson also claimed Croatian authorities destroyed an attempted settlement in the area in 2023 and later banned him from entering Croatia permanently.
The project has often been compared to Liberland, another self-declared micronation established on nearby disputed territory in 2015.
Despite the controversy, Jackson insists he remains committed to building what he describes as a fresh start for people seeking alternative governance systems.
For now, the “president” of Verdis continues to live in Dover, where he says he still enjoys a normal life like any other 20-year-old.
