Kyiv: DPR and LPR leaders with Russian citizenship will not be able to take part in Donbas elections
All the leaders of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics have received Russian citizenship, which means that under Ukrainian law they will not be able to participate in the elections if they are held in October, deputy prime minister for the reintegration of temporarily occupied territories Oleksii Reznikov said on the talk show " Savik Shuster’s Freedom of Speech"
According to him, Russia is no longer hiding and confirmed on their TV channels that about 200,000 Ukrainian citizens from DPR and LPR have received Russian passports.
"First of all, those who received the Passports are the leaders of these two formations, military, "civil servants" and the like. Thus, it is easier for them to pay salaries from the budget of the Russian Federation," Reznikov said.
When asked what would happen to these holders of Russian passports in October if there were elections, he said: "Someone will go to Russia as their new homeland, and someone will go to Syria for recycling ... Whoever wants to stay may stay, but the question will arise whether they will be able to take part in the elections. Since in this case the Ukrainian law is clear - foreign citizens can not be elected to the authorities. This also applies to local authorities. Accordingly, even someone hides the presence of a Russian passport, it will become clear at any other moment, and the person will be deprived of the status of a deputy of the city council, village council or city head - it is not a problem," Reznikov explained.
Earlier, the Ukrainian delegation showed during the meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council copies of Russian passports of the DPR head, Denis Pushilin, and "representatives of LPR and DPR" Vladislav Deinego and Natalia Nikanorova.