Putin signs order expediting Russian citizenship process for Donbas residents

Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed an order creating an expedited path to Russian citizenship for residents of the war-torn Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. The order allows for citizenship applications from the region to be evaluated within the course of three months. It will take effect on the day that it is officially published.

The authority to enable an expedited citizenship process for certain applicants was granted to the Russian president in a 2018 amendment to the country’s citizenship laws. Those changes, which followed other efforts to bring Donbas residents under the purview of the Russian state following military interference in the region, took effect at the end of March.