The European Parliament voted for a ban on entry into the EU on Russian passports issued in new regions

The European Parliament voted to ban the issuance of visas on Russian passports issued in new regions of Russia (DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions), as well as in the Crimea and on the territory of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Meeting broadcast was conducted on the website of the European Parliament.

531 deputies voted for the corresponding proposal, 7 were against, 34 more abstained. The restrictions will come into force after the official approval by the Council of the EU and the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the EU.

The authors of the initiative point to the need to make exceptions for those Russian citizens “who had Russian passports before the start of issuing the relevant documents in these territories,” as well as for those who “were underage or officially incompetent at the time the document was issued.”

During the special operation in Ukraine, Russian troops took full control of the LPR, as well as most of the DPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. At the end of September, five-day referendums were held in these territories on the issue of joining subjects to Russia.

On September 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the heads of the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions signed treaties on the entry of regions into Russia. On October 4, the Federation Council, following the State Duma, ratified all the treaties, and the next day Putin signed federal laws on the admission of four new subjects to the Russian Federation.

Despite the declaration of independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the 1990s, Georgia still considers them to be its territories. In 2008, Russia recognized the independence of the republics. Also, the independence of states is recognized by Venezuela, Syria, Nicaragua and Nauru.

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