Lavrov 'not surprised' by Ukraine's plan over jail terms for Russian passport applicants

Amid the ongoing brutal war in Eastern Europe, the Foreign Minister of Russia, Sergey Lavrov stated that he was not surprised by Kyiv's intentions to impose criminal responsibility on Ukrainian people who have been seeking Russian passports. When questioned about the effort on Channel One on Thursday, September 15, the minister responded, "I have already grown tired of being baffled by their moves", Tass reported. 

This came after the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Reintegration of Uncontrolled Territories revealed on Wednesday that a bill has been in work to make an application for Russian citizenship illegal. The document further stated that only when a person intends to return to Ukraine through Russia and other nations may getting a Russian passport be justifiable. The head of the Ukrainian Presidential office's adviser, Alexey Arestovich had stated that Ukrainians who had acquired Russian citizenship would face severe treason charges, Tass reported.  

30,000 Ukrainians filed for Russian citizenship in the Zaporizhzhia region in August

Apart from this, in the month of August, there have been indications that many individuals in the Zaporizhzhia region have begun registering for Russian citizenship. Yevgeny Balitsky, the chief of the military-civilian administration for the Zaporizhzhia region, stated on August 15 that 30,000 individuals had so far filed for Russian citizenship in the area, according to the TASS report. 

According to Balitsky, an increasing number of people were requesting Russian citizenship, and on August 15, Monday the administration obtained more than 30,000 applications with the required supporting documentation. He said that the government has been developing measures to deal with specific situations where passport issue procedures are delayed. 

In a post on his Telegram channel, Balitsky said, “More and more Zaporizhzhia region residents are applying for Russian citizenship. As of today, more than 30,000 such applications with a complete package of necessary documents are being considered at passport issuance centres," as per media reports.  

Furthermore, the chief of the military-civilian administration for the Zaporizhzhia region continued by saying, "At this stage, we continue to work on mechanisms to address particular cases when passport issuance procedures are delayed".    

Balitsky also noted that applications for citizenship are being received at twelve different centres. According to media reports, there are 12 passport offices, three of which are located in Melitopol, two in Berdyansk, and one each in Akimovka, Priazovye, Tokmak, Mikhailova, Dneproprudny, Energodar, and Kamenka. 

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, signed an executive order on July 11 allowing all Ukrainians to go through a simplified process for getting Russian citizenship. As per media reports, an action that primarily aims to increase Russia's authority over the region it has taken over in Ukraine. Until the Kremlin leader's edict in July, only citizens of Ukraine's separatist Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as those of the south's Zaporizhzhia and Kherson areas, were qualified to apply for a passport. However, the decree expedited the application procedure for Russian passports. 

(Image: AP)