Vladimir Putin Issues Decree To Fast-Track Russian Citizenship To All Ukrainians

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a decree expanding a fast-track procedure to obtain Russian citizenship for Ukrainians, according to a document published on the government's website.

What Happened: The decree issued by Putin ordered that "all citizens of Ukraine" be given "the right to apply for admission to the citizenship of the Russian Federation in a simplified manner," according to TASS, a state-owned news agency.

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Previously, only residents of Donetsk and Luhansk in separatist eastern Ukraine, along with the residents of the southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions – which Putin seeks to "liberate" from Kyiv's control – were eligible for the simplified procedure.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry slammed Moscow and dubbed its move an 'encroachment' on Kyiv's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"The mentioned decree is another encroachment on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, incompatible with the norms and principles of international law," the Ukrainian ministry said in a statement.

Ukraine has also called on its allies to impose additional sanctions on Russia to punish Putin's government.

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Photo: Courtesy of ΝΕΑ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ on Flickr