Russian passports to be issued in Zaporizhzhia Oblast
OLHA HLUSHCHENKO – SATURDAY, 11 JUNE 2022, 03:20
As of 11 June, Russian passports will be issued in the Russian-occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia Oblast in Ukraine.
Source: Vladimir Rogov, the Russian collaborator in charge of the administration of the Russian-occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, cited in RBK.ru
Quote from Rogov: "Tomorrow [on 11 June - ed.] the residents of the liberated [sic] territory of Zaporizhzhia Oblast will begin to receive Russian passports, meaning that they will become citizens of our great united Motherland."
Earlier: Rogov has invited international observers and delegations to Zaporizhzhia Oblast against the backdrop of news about preparations for a referendum on the annexation of the oblast to Russia.
Background:
- According to the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration, Russian forces control around 60% of the territory of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
- On 25 May, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on a simplified route to Russian citizenship for residents of the occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts of Ukraine.
- The Russian occupation authorities have stated that all residents of the Kherson region will have the right to obtain Russian citizenship. They were also planning to adopt a Russian Empire-era emblem in the occupied territories.
- The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers Putin’s decree on Russian passports "null and void."
- On 25 May, Russian occupation forces informed residents of Mariupol that they could obtain Russian citizenship without obtaining intermediate citizenship of the so-called "Donetsk People’s Republic."
- Andrey Klishas, chair of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation, has declared that residents of all Ukrainian territories occupied by the Russian Federation, not just those who live in Donbas, have the right to decide whether to continue to stay with Russia.
