Russia will not pay pensions to Russian passport owners in LPR and DPR
Russian pensions will be granted only to those Russian passport owners who will leave the territories of Donetsk and Lugansk which are not under Ukraine’s control and undertake permanent residence in Russia, stated the representatives of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation as quoted by RBC news agency.
“Citizens permanently residing in Ukraine, including in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, will not receive a Russian pension. When these citizens undertake permanent residency in Russia, the procurement process for pensions will be maintained in accordance with the legislation norms of our country,” the department said.
The Pension Fund of the Russian Federation explained that a pension act signed on March 13, 1992 between Russia and Ukraine based on the principle of territorial integrity is still in effect. According to the act, pensions are assigned and paid by the country in which a person permanently resides, regardless of whether he/she has a Russian or Ukrainian passport.
On April 24, 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing residents of certain regions of Donetsk and Lugansk to obtain Russian citizenship through a simplified procedure. This procedure exempts the residents of the territories of the Donbas which are not under Ukraine’s control from compulsory exams and the five year Russian residency requirement.