Ukraine condemns Moscow’s decree to facilitate Russian citizenship procedures in Jerson and Zaporiyia

MADRID, 26 May. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Ukraine on Wednesday condemned the decree, signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, to simplify the application procedures for Russian citizenship for residents of the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, taken by Russian forces as part of the offensive launched on February 24.

"The illegal obtaining of passports in Jerson and Zaporiyia, as well as in Crimea and the temporarily occupied part of Donetsk and Lugansk provinces, is a serious violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said a statement.

Likewise, it has indicated that it violates Moscow's obligations, "as the occupying power", in accordance with article 45 of the 1907 Hague Convention and article 47 of the 1949 Convention for the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.

According to kyiv, this decree "is legally void" and "has no effect" or "legal consequences." "This decision will not affect the membership of Ukrainian citizenship of residents of the territories temporarily occupied by Russia," she added.

The Moscow document includes amendments to an April 2019 document that reduced the obstacles for residents of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk to apply for citizenship, according to the Russian news agency Interfax.

"Forcibly obtaining passports from Ukrainians in Kherson and Zaporizhia is further proof of the criminal goal of Russia's war against Ukraine: the conquest of Ukrainian territories for their further occupation and integration into Russia's legal, political and economic space," has added the Ukrainian side.

For his part, the 'number two' of the pro-Russian administration of the Kherson region, Kiril Stremousov, thanked the "opportunity" offered by President Putin to be able to obtain Russian nationality, something that, in addition, he considers underlines the fact that these regions "will be Russia forever".

Along the same lines, the deputy director of the pro-Russian Department of the Interior of Zaporizhia, Alexei Selivanov, has emphasized that the citizens of the place, if they obtain Russian nationality, will have the "opportunity to (...) receive all the benefits" of a "great power", as reported by the TASS news agency.

"The Russian Army liberated (Jerson and Zaporiyia) and has allowed them to become full-fledged and equal Russian citizens (...) This means that the regions of Zaporiyia and Jerson will no longer return to Ukraine," Selivanov asserted.

On February 21, Putin signed a decree recognizing the independence of these republics, located in the Donbas region (east) and shaken by an armed conflict since 2014. Just three days later, he ordered the invasion of Ukraine, a conflict that has been going on for more than three months active.