The decree signed by President Vladimir Putin grants new territory residents who do not seek Russian citizenship the option to limit their stay or face expulsion from the Russian Federation. The document was published on the legal information portal for public access and reference.
Sanctions may be imposed on foreign nationals who have not acquired Russian citizenship if they are deemed a threat to national security. The decree identifies several categories of conduct that could trigger such measures, including advocating for a fundamental change to the constitutional order, financing or orchestrating terrorist or extremist acts, and actions that disrupt public order or safety such as participating in unauthorized meetings, rallies, demonstrations, marches, or strikes.
The decree outlines the range of possible actions against those individuals, which may include expulsion from the country, readmission to Russia, administrative deportation, denial of entry, shortening or revocation of temporary stay, denial of residence, deprivation of refugee status or temporary asylum, and cancellation of residence permits, all in accordance with applicable laws.
If a decision is issued against an individual, they are required to leave Russian territory within three calendar days from the notification date; failure to comply can result in deportation.
Data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs show that 691,000 people obtained Russian citizenship in 2022, including 296,000 Ukrainian citizens who received passports. The decree also clarifies that, as of September 30, 2022, residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics as well as the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions who declare a desire to retain their citizenship but do not take the oath to become Russian citizens will be treated as foreign nationals. These individuals may reside in the newly incorporated territories until July 1, 2024 using their existing documents; after that date, they will not face deportation solely for not taking the oath, provided they do not undertake actions aimed at drastically altering the constitutional order. It is further stated that non-citizens may work in the new territories without a separate work permit, pending identity verification and entry into the appropriate database by the competent authorities.
The decree also specifies the process for obtaining a Russian residence permit, noting that the application review period should not exceed 20 working days.
On the eve of the Federation Council’s approval, a law was enacted allowing for the deprivation of acquired Russian citizenship. This means a passport can be lost for crimes such as discrediting the Russian armed forces, terrorism, overt extremism, threats to the territorial integrity of the country, actions against public figures, armed insurrection, calls for desertion, or war.
Citizenship by birth remains outside the scope of the new law. Under the law On Citizenship, a person who obtained a passport through birth cannot lose it unless they decide to do so themselves.
In March 2023, Putin enacted a measure terminating Ukrainian citizenship from the date a Russian citizen files with the Ministry of Internal Affairs indicating a wish not to remain a citizen. The law also allows a parent or a guardian to submit this request on behalf of a child under 14 years old, if necessary.
Earlier in July 2022, a decree introduced a simplified citizenship procedure for Ukrainian nationals. Specifically, residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics have had a streamlined path since 2019, while residents of the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions gained access to this simplified procedure starting in May 2022. [Citation: Russian Legal Information Portal, official decree texts, and ministry statements]