Ukraine called Putinʼs decree on simplified obtaining of a Russian passport in the occupied territories “null and void”

Ukraine called the Russian President Vladimir Putinʼs decree on simplified acquisition of Russian citizenship for Ukrainians in the territories occupied after February 24 "null and void".

Thus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that this decree is "null and void" and testifies to Russiaʼs unwillingness to negotiate, the desire of its leadership to continue the war, and the forcible assimilation and genocide of the Ukrainian people.

Ukraine emphasized that the forced imposition of citizenship of the Russian Federation on people who were under occupation and deprived of the right to freely choose citizenship confirms the criminal essence of the totalitarian Russian regime.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs regards this document as another crime by Russia against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

• On December 26, Putin signed a decree on simplified procedures for acquiring Russian citizenship. It refers to citizens of Ukraine who lived or live in the temporarily occupied parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine, which Russia captured after February 24. For them, the Russian Federation offers "simplified procedures" for leaving Ukrainian citizenship and acquiring Russian citizenship. Russian passports will also be issued to Ukrainian children and teenagers aged 14 to 18, who were forcibly deported by the Russian Federation to its territory.