Putin issues decree granting Russian citizenship to foreigners who sign one-year contract with Russian army during war against Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree granting Russian citizenship to foreigners who have signed contracts for at least one year of military service in the Russian Armed Forces or “military formations” during the “special military operation,” reports TASS. The offer of Russian citizenship is extended to immediate family members as well. Citizenship applications should take no more than one month to process.

The decree was posted on the portal of regulatory legal acts and enters into force from the date of its publication.

In September 2022, Putin signed a decree allowing foreigners who had entered into a one-year military contract to obtain citizenship in a simplified manner (without having a residence permit and living in Russia for five years). Previously, they had to serve for a minimum of three years. The 2022 decree did not include wording about the “special military operation” and processing time was set at three months.

In recent months, Russian authorities have been actively offering migrants from Central Asian countries expedited citizenship in return for signing a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry. Additionally, police have been arresting migrants with Russian citizenship during raids and taking them to military enlistment offices.