Putin extends simplified Russian citizenship rules to all residents of Donetsk, Luhansk regions

The Russian president signed a decree on simplified procedures for granting Russian citizenship to residents of Russia-occupied districts of Ukraine’s east late in April 2019.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended his decree on simplified procedures for granting Russian citizenship to all residents from Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions, also known as Donbas. This is stated in a new decree with amendments published on Russia’s official portal of legal information.

In late April, Putin signed a decree on the simplified procedures for granting Russian citizenship to residents of „certain districts” in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The new decree scraps the words „certain districts” from the document. All residents of Donetsk and Luhansk regions who stay in the territory of the Russian Federation will be able to apply for Russian citizenship.

As UNIAN reported, Russian president signed a decree on simplified procedures for granting Russian citizenship to residents of Russia-occupied districts of Ukraine’s east on April 24, 2019. On April 29 and 30, two centers for issuing Russian passports to residents of the occupied districts of Luhansk and Donetsk regions opened in Russia’s Rostov Oblast.

On May 1, Putin signed another decree under which more categories of Ukrainian citizens are able to obtain Russian citizenship with the use of the simplified procedure, in particular, these are citizens of Ukraine who do not have citizenship of another state, as well as stateless persons who were born and permanently resided in Crimea and left the peninsula before March 18, 2014, as well as their children, husbands (wives), and parents. On May 8, Ukraine’s government decided to outlaw Russian passports issued to residents of occupied Ukrainian territories, primarily Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

On June 20, Putin said that obtaining Russian citizenship for Ukrainians would be simplified, but it would require a visit to Russia.

Leaders of European Union member states declare their readiness not to recognize Russian passports issued to Ukrainians in Russia-occupied Donbas.