Putin simplifies process for residents of Syria and Afghanistan to obtain Russian passports
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree simplifying the process for obtaining a Russian citizenship for the resident of several countries. The document is published on the Kremlin’s legal information website.
Following the simplified procedure, citizens of Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and Syria will be able to apply for a Russian passport. The decree also extends to those born on the territory of the RSFSR, former citizens of the USSR, their children, spouses and relatives.
In addition to them, foreigners and stateless persons who were deported from the territory of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic will be able to obtain passports through a simplified procedure. The law also covers those whose relatives, adoptive parents or spouses were deported, as well as relatives “directly descended from them”, adopted children and spouses.
Some citizens of Ukraine also received the right to do so, namely, the residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics and Crimea.
In late April, Putin said that Russian authorities are considering the option of granting citizenship not only to residents of the DPR and the LPR, but to all Ukrainians. Subsequently, he said that he considered the people of Russia and Ukraine to be one people.