For a week, passions have not subsided around the Kremlin’s decision to simplify the procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship for residents of the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions not controlled by Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin’s decree was condemned by France, Germany, Poland and a number of other EU countries, not to mention Ukrainian top politicians. Guarantor Petro Poroshenko, who has not lost his powers, called the decision another step towards Russian aggression, and newly elected President Vladimir Zelensky posted a post on Facebook that sounds not only indignation, but also a hint of irony and response.
Meanwhile, residents of ORDLO are faced with difficult questions: will they benefit from big political games and what threats exist.
With triple “citizenship”
Passports of citizens of the Russian Federation will be issued in the Rostov region - a center for issuing documents for residents of the “LPR” is already operating in test mode; on April 30, the same one opened for the “DPR”. According to information on social networks, those who want to receive a book with a double-headed eagle do not even have to travel abroad. Document collection points with the functions of passport officers at housing and communal services offices have opened in Lugansk and Donetsk. They will accept it - they will take it away, they will process it - they will bring it and hand it over against signature. Service...
“As far as I heard, 200 people have signed up in Lugansk so far,” says Nikolai, one of the residents of Lugansk. — According to the simplified procedure, not everyone can receive Russian passports, but only those who previously received “LPR” passports (the same thing in Donetsk, — Ed.). People are also confused by the fact that they are not asked to hand over their Ukrainian passport, as was the case in Crimea. We already have a joke among our people: “We will be citizens of one republic and two states.”
Most of all, the innovation saddened the elderly, of whom no more than 20% (according to Russian media) have the documents necessary for citizenship. Benefits in the “LPR” and “DPR” were assigned to pensioners based on Ukrainian passports, and the elderly did not want to beat their legs for nothing.
But even if now they all rush to get the passports of the self-proclaimed republics, they cannot count on a Russian pension. The Pension Fund of the Russian Federation has already reported that only those who move to Russia for permanent residence and receive a residence permit can count on their care. Ukraine must pay pensions to those remaining in ORDLO.
This once again indicates that the decision is more political than social in nature.
Where to contact
How to obtain Russian citizenship for a citizen of the DPR 2021 using a simplified system? To submit an application and documents, you can contact the migration department.
In unrecognized republics
Applications are accepted at all migration authorities of the republics.
LPR
Places for obtaining Russian citizenship for residents of the LPR:
- Control Migration Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the LPR - Lugansk, Kotsyubinskogo street, 2.
- Compulsory medical insurance of the Artemovsky District Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the LPR - city. Lugansk, Sverdlova street, 74.
- Compulsory medical insurance of the Zhovtnevoy District Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the LPR - Lugansk, 27th quarter, no. 3.
- Compulsory medical insurance of the Kamennobrodsky District Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the LPR - Lugansk, Karl Liebknecht Street, 9L.
DPR
Addresses in the city of Donetsk:
- Lagutenko Ave., 14.
- St. Lyubavina, 4.
- St. Shchorsa, 104.
- St. Kirova, 106.
- St. Kamyshinskaya, 21.
Addresses in Gorlovka:
- St. Rudakova, 17.
- St. Pushkinskaya, 9
- St. Gorlovka Division, 30.
In Russia
To issue a passport in the country, you will have to contact document issuing points in the Rostov region. In the village of Pokrovskoye, passports can be obtained by residents of the DPR, and in Novoshakhtinsk - by residents of Lugansk.
"They are there"
— Putin’s decree is a game of raising the stakes. The Russian leadership is unhappy that Vladimir Zelensky has focused on the West and the European Union. The newly elected president already has a lot of problems today, but let him understand that if Donbass is integrated into Ukraine - and I think this will happen - there will be even more difficulties. Thus, Russia wants to force Zelensky to start negotiations as soon as possible. Let it be in the Normandy format,” says political scientist Nikolai Spiridonov.
The expert believes that Russia is unlikely to decide on large-scale aggression in Donbass.
“She already has a lot of problems.” But with the distribution of our passports, “we are not there” can be transformed into “we are there.” And this is a different level of requirements,” notes Nikolai Spiridonov. “This is a declaration of possible readiness to return Donbass on our own terms, while maintaining a good face.
Our interlocutor also puts forward a conspiracy theory.
— Now the Kremlin seems to be playing along with Poroshenko. With his declared anti-Russian position, he was an understandable and convenient sparring partner,” the political scientist believes. — And Zelensky is an unknown figure. The sooner you put him in an uncomfortable position, the faster he will open up. Russia definitely needed his reaction.
Demographic calculation
Political scientist Alexey Yakubin believes that in addition to political calculations, the Russian Federation pursued certain pragmatic goals.
— It seems to me that the decision was made before the second round of elections, it was just postponed to wait for the results. Residents of ORDLO have been in an uncertain state for five years. Those who relied on Russia are increasingly dissatisfied. Putin’s decree is an attempt to at least slightly relieve social tension, to show some kind of concern,” says Alexey Yakubin. “At the same time, Russia has demonstrated that it does not draw parallels between Donbass and Crimea. By leaving Ukrainian passports, she seemed to make it clear that she was not ready to take full custody of these territories, but only temporary and partial support.
There is another reason.
— In Russia, like other countries, the demographic issue is now acute. Fewer people are born than die. In addition, Russia is concerned about the increase in the non-Slavic population. Able-bodied residents of ORDLO with Russian passports, if they want, will be able to move and get settled on their own - without government assistance. The rest are unnecessary ballast, says Yakubin.
According to Russian media, in recent years, about 250,000 “DPR” passports and 150,000 “LPR” passports have been issued. Nowadays, the overwhelming majority of such documents are received by teenagers who, for various reasons, cannot obtain passports on the territory of Ukraine.
Basic documents for a Russian passport in the DPR and LPR
Let us immediately make a reservation that this list is not exhaustive - the employee may request other documents on the spot. However, those listed below must be prepared:
- application form for citizenship - without it there is no basis for issuing an internal passport. The questionnaire for residents of the LDPR is much simpler in content than the standard form for those who apply for citizenship in the Russian Federation on a general basis or according to a simplified algorithm. The application for a resident of the republic indicates only the full name, gender, date of birth, place of birth and residence and some other significant data;
- application for an internal passport;
- application for a foreign passport. This document needs to be completed only by those who wish to obtain an identity card for foreign trips at the same time as domestic ones. The rest can apply for it later, already in Russia. Moreover, unlike the internal one, you will have to pay for the issuance of a foreign passport;
- passport of a citizen of the DPR/LPR;
- passport of a citizen of any other foreign state (except Ukraine);
- certificates confirming the personal and family status, as well as family relationships of the applicant - birth, marriage, change of name or surname;
- certificate from the place of employment or pension certificate;
- photographs measuring 35x45 mm in the amount of 8 pieces, corresponding to the requirements prescribed in the regulations;
- for those who apply for a foreign passport along with an internal passport - a receipt for payment of the fee.
Important: all documents submitted for a Russian passport to the LPR or DPR must be completed in Russian or supplemented with a notarized translation. Please note that an exception has been made for translations from Ukrainian to Russian - it does not need to be certified.
You must provide originals and copies of documents, also certified by a notary. Not only those containing information are copied, but also blank pages.
Application form for Russian citizenship for residents of the LDNR according to Decree No. 187 (85 Downloads) Sample application for Russian citizenship for residents of the LDNR according to Decree No. 187 (62 Downloads) Sample application for Russian citizenship for residents of the LDNR according to Decree No. 187 with a trailer (33 Downloads) Blank application form for the issuance (replacement) of a passport according to form 1P - PDF (850 Downloads)
Can't be deprived
Currently, nothing is known about the preferences that residents of ORDLO will receive by obtaining Russian passports. But there is a lot of talk about the punishment that fell on the heads of the apostates. The Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons has already stated that all of them will automatically lose their Ukrainian citizenship. This is an emotional impulse that does not always agree with reality.
“At the moment, these people cannot be deprived of citizenship or brought to any responsibility, because Ukrainian jurisdiction does not operate in those territories, Ukrainian courts do not work,” notes lawyer Ivan Liberman .
Even when the entire Donbass returns to Ukrainian control, these people will remain our fellow citizens. According to Ukrainian laws, dual citizenship is not prohibited; it is not recognized. That is, Russian citizenship, from the point of view of our law, simply will not exist for them.
“Citizenship can only be deprived by a presidential decree or by court,” says lawyer Alexey Sirotin. — In order for the norm to operate “automatically,” the Rada must pass a special law. For example, consider as non-citizens everyone who issued Russian passports in such and such a period under such and such circumstances. But this will be a voting right that contradicts international norms. And citizens of another state in Ukraine are sufficiently protected by current legislation to apply repressive measures to them. If, again, a law is passed establishing administrative or criminal liability, this will be a violation of the UN Convention on Human Rights.
According to the established procedure in the world, diplomatic missions are not obliged to exchange information about which country’s citizen has been granted second citizenship. In most countries of the world, including Russia, double patriotism is not condemned. But nowadays any database can become available to the general public.
Media: Residents of the LPR and DPR may begin to be issued passports of Russian citizens
Residents of Donbass, who find themselves under a complete humanitarian and legal blockade from Kyiv, have long dreamed of being issued passports of Russian citizens. Representatives of Gazeta.Ru talked with informed interlocutors who believe that the Russian Federation may well issue Russian passports to citizens of the LPR and DPR, although now the Kremlin is not talking about this publicly and no orders have been given in this regard. The source writes that the distribution of Russian passports to the LPR and DPR will further separate the self-proclaimed republics from Ukraine, because the documents produced and issued by the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics are not recognized anywhere except in the Donbass.
In particular, the publication’s journalists spoke with the head of the organization “Humanitarian Aid to Donbass” Elena Goi, who said that all her visits to the south-east of Ukraine are always associated with questions from local residents about Russian documents. From her words, it became clear that “everyone has already heard” that the Russian Federation can start issuing Russian passports of the LPR and DPR, but everyone is already concerned about the question of how and when this will happen, because with Russian documents, Donbass residents will at least be able to cross the border without any problems. Now, due to problems with local documents, they are forced to continue to use passports of Ukrainian citizens.
“The distribution of Russian passports in Donbass is a very likely scenario that could materialize after the next large-scale military clashes; this will be a mandatory reaction from Moscow. As a matter of fact, such battles have already begun in Donbass, so the issuance of Russian passports to residents of the DPR and LPR is probably not far off. The fact is that the escalation of the war is inevitable, and Moscow will perceive it as a challenge to Kyiv. One of the least dangerous actions for the Russian Federation, but a serious problem for the other side, is the issuance of passports,” says Andrei Babitsky, an ex-Radio Liberty correspondent living in Donetsk.
Also in the Donbass, the problem of property relations is acute, because Ukraine disconnected the LPR and DPR from the Ukrainian electronic death registers back in January 2015. In the DPR and LPR, local documents have been issued for a relatively long time, but the problem of local residents is that these documents are more perceived by the outside world as souvenirs, the publication writes.
It is not yet known whether Russian passports will be issued in Donbass, but experts do not rule out that such a step is indeed possible. However, the distribution of such documents can be equated to the fact that the Russian Federation informally recognizes the sovereignty of the self-proclaimed republics with all the ensuing consequences. In particular, the outside world may change its understanding of the role of the Russian Federation in the war in Ukraine.
“We count on him to keep his word”
Some saw Vladimir Zelensky’s reaction to the “Kremlin attack” as a threat, while others saw it as a promise.
“Citizenship of Ukraine is freedom, dignity and honor... This is what we have defended and will defend. Ukraine will not give up its mission to serve as an example of democracy for post-Soviet countries. And part of this mission will be to provide protection, asylum and Ukrainian citizenship to all who are ready to fight for freedom,” the new president wrote, making it clear that Ukraine is also ready to consider the issue of citizenship for the enemies of its enemies.
— Poroshenko should have done this. In 2015, he promised to simplify obtaining Ukrainian citizenship for those who defended it on the Maidan and in the war, says Right Sector speaker Artem Skoropadsky. - But he didn’t. In five years, only five of those who fought received a Ukrainian passport, although there are thousands of them. We did not vote for Poroshenko, we did not vote for Zelensky, but we read his address and expect that he will keep his word.
List of documents for a Russian passport in the DPR and LPR for minors
Despite the fact that legal majority for Russian citizens comes after they reach 18 years of age, a passport in the Russian Federation is issued at the age of 14. That is, residents of the republics who have not reached the age of majority can apply for an internal Russian passport along with adults.
For such applicants, the list of documents for a Russian passport in the DPR, as well as in the LPR, will be somewhat shorter. It includes:
- citizenship application form;
- application for issuance of an internal passport;
- birth certificate;
- official consent to assign the applicant the status of a Russian citizen, written in any form;
- certificate of change of personal data - if such changes have taken place;
- for disabled children - an appropriate certificate;
- 8 photographs measuring 35x45 mm. Some of them will be used to obtain citizenship, and some will be used for passports and internal documents of the passport service.
The requirements for translations and copies are the same as those for adult applicants.
By submitting documents for a Russian passport to the LPR or DPR, you can expect to receive it within a month. True, only if the applicant does not apply for a foreign passport and does not register minor children with him. In these cases, the waiting time may increase to three months.
You need to receive an internal Russian passport in Rostov-on-Don, having previously taken an official oath of allegiance to the interests of the Russian Federation.
DETAILED VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS - List of documents for a Russian passport for citizens of the DPR.
