Knock! President Putin Expands Simplification Of Russian Citizenship Procedures For All Ukrainians

Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Source: Kremlin.ru)

JAKARTA - The option to acquire Russian citizenship through a simplified procedure has been expanded to cover all residents of Ukraine, according to a decree by Russian President Vladimir Putin published Monday.

"Declaring that nationals of Ukraine, the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) or the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) and stateless persons permanently residing in the DPR, LPR or Ukraine, have the right to appeal for citizenship of the Russian Federation through a simplified procedure, in accordance with the law 'On nationality of the Russian Federation,' the ruling reads, launching TASS 11 July.

It is known, in the previous version of the decree, the simplification of the procedure only covers residents of the DPR, LPR and Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, service in the armed forces or law enforcement of the Donbass republic will not be a barrier to obtaining Russian citizenship, the decree said.

"Military services, services in national security or law enforcement agencies of Donetsk and the People's Republic of Lugansk, cannot be considered as reasons for refusing Russian citizenship," the document states.

Under Russian law, a simplified procedure makes it possible to apply for Russian citizenship without meeting a number of prerequisites, such as living in Russia for five years, having a source of income, and taking a Russian language exam.

A simplified procedure was introduced for residents of the DPR and LPR through a Putin decree in 2019 (at that time, the republic was still considered part of Ukraine).

The decree said the provisions were signed "to protect the rights and freedoms of a man and a citizen, under universally recognized principles and norms of international law." At the end of May this year, the decree was expanded to cover the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions in Ukraine.