Russia claims to have issued 800,000 passports to residents of Russian-occupied Donbas

OLHA HLUSHCHENKO – SATURDAY, 11 JUNE 2022, 08:14

According to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, over 800,000 residents of the so-called, self-declared "DPR" and "LPR" [the self-declared and Russian-backed Donetsk and Luhansk "People’s Republics" on the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in Ukraine - ed.] have been issued with Russian passports using a simplified procedure.

Source: TASS, citing the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs

Quote: "According to departmental statistics, between April 2019 and today […] over 800,000 people have acquired Russian citizenship on the basis of the decree of the President of the Russian Federation of April 24, 2019."

Details: The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has said that less than 1% of citizenship applications have been rejected and has added that Russian citizenship is still being issued to the residents of the so-called "DPR" and "LPR."

Background: In April 2019, President Vladimir Putin of Russia signed a decree that simplified the procedure for acquiring Russian citizenship for the residents of the Russian-occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.