President Vladimir Putin spoke about the plans to simplify the procedure of obtaining Russian citizenship for people from Ukraine. On Friday, July 14, according to RIA Novosti.
“We will introduce in the near future changes in applicable law and will not require them papers confirming their citizenship of the [Ukraine],” he said at a meeting with Governor of Belgorod region Yevgeny Savchenko.
Putin explained that the new rules will be sufficient to provide confirmation that the person has applied to the authorities of Ukraine with the request to renounce the citizenship of that country.
This issue, the President pointed out, was dedicated to one of the complaints received during the direct line. The author of the letter complained that to obtain a Russian passport, you must provide proof of withdrawal from the Ukrainian citizenship, but the authorities deny him this document.
On 11 July the state Duma Committee on state construction and legislation supported amendments that would allow Ukrainians to join the Russian citizenship without confirmation of refusal from the Ukrainian passport from Kiev. The next day the lower house of Parliament passed the second reading of the bill to revoke citizenship of individuals convicted of terrorist offences, in which these amendments have been included.
Under current law, to receive Russian passports, the person must provide a certificate from the relevant agencies of the state, from the citizenship which he refused.