Ukraine's president made it easier for "politically persecuted" Russians to get passports.
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Ukraine’s president Vladimir Zelensky has simplified the issuance of passports to Russians deemed to be “politically persecuted,” said the president’s office in a statement.
The simplified procedure will also apply to foreigners and stateless persons who “took part in the implementation of national security and defence measures, measures on rebuffing or curbing the armed aggression of the Russian Federation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.”
The decree signed by Zelensky on Tuesday says its purpose is “to ensure the protection of human rights and freedoms.”
The document notes that to obtain Ukrainian citizenship, proof of political persecution is required as well as the renunciation of Russian citizenship.
Proof of political persecution can be a certificate issued by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, a diplomatic mission or consulate of Ukraine. The procedure for issuing such certificates will be established by the Ukrainian government, said the statement.
Zelensky announced his intention to issue passports to Russian citizens after Vladimir Putin simplified the procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship for residents in the Donbass last April.
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