- On 04 March 2025, Russian president Putin stated that Russia had completed issuing passports to Ukrainians living in illegally Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine. Russia’s Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev stated that 3.5 million Russian passports had been issued to Ukrainians in occupied territory, an increase from the 2.8 million reported in March 2024.
- Russia makes access to services in occupied regions, including social services, healthcare, and financial services, conditional on the receipt of Russian passports. Possession of a Russian passport also constitutes eligibility for conscription into the Russian military. Ukrainians without a Russian passport also face the seizure of their property by the authorities.
- Russian efforts to enforce governance in illegally occupied territory, and to coerce and compel Ukrainians to accept Russian passports, demonstrate the Russian senior leadership’s continuing commitment to, and pursuit of, a Russification policy.