Putin has simplified the procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship for Ukrainians who lived in Crimea and Donbass before the spring of 2014

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that introduces a simplified procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship for certain categories of citizens of Ukraine and other countries. The document was published on the Internet portal of legal information.

According to the decree, citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons who were born in Crimea and lived there before March 18, 2014 , as well as those who were deported from Crimea during the Soviet era, may apply for a simplified procedure.

In addition, the decree applies to Ukrainian citizens and stateless persons who lived in “certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions” before April 2014 and now have a residence permit or certain other documents allowing them to live in Russia.

Citizens of Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and Syria who were born on the territory of the RSFSR and had Soviet citizenship, as well as their relatives, may also apply for a simplified procedure.

The decree establishes that applications for admission to Russian citizenship from the above-mentioned persons should not be considered for longer than three months.

Updated . Deputy Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Yuriy Grymchak told Channel Five that residents of the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR who receive Russian passports should be stripped of their Ukrainian citizenship.

• On April 24, Vladimir Putin signed a decree that allows residents of the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR to obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner. On April 29 and 30, the first passport issuance centers for residents of the self-proclaimed republics began operating in test mode in the Rostov Region.