Putin determined the status of residents of new regions without Russian citizenship

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree “On the Peculiarities of the Legal Status of Certain Categories of Foreign Citizens and Stateless Persons in the Russian Federation.” The document was published on Thursday, April 27, on the official portal of legal information.

In accordance with the decree, citizens of Ukraine, persons who were citizens of the Donetsk or Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as stateless persons are recognized from September 30, 2022 as foreigners and stateless persons permanently residing in the Russian Federation, if they simultaneously meet a number of conditions.

In particular, we are talking about those who lived in the territories of the new regions as of the date of their admission to Russia and expressed a desire to retain their former citizenship. Also, persons who previously lived in Russia and left it will be considered foreigners if they decided to retain their former citizenship and did not take the oath of a citizen of the Russian Federation.

Such foreign citizens and stateless persons may reside in these territories until July 1, 2024.

Residents of the new territories who have not accepted Russian citizenship and are thus recognized as foreigners or stateless persons may be expelled from Russia if they pose a threat to its national security.

Earlier, the State Duma adopted amendments to the legislation expanding list of grounds for deprivation of Russian citizenship. The list includes the commission of actions that pose a threat to national security, as well as the existence of convictions under a number of articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

President of the Migration 21st Century Foundation Vyacheslav Postavnin said that stateless persons in general have approximately the same list of rights as Russian citizens, however, with some limitations.