You're reading: Svetlichny: Several dozen Russian passports issued to Berkut servicemen

The number of Russian passports issued to the Ukrainian Berkut troops increases every day and no decision has yet been made on other categories of people seeking Russian citizenship, Russian general consul in Simferopol Vyacheslav Svetlichny said.

“This work [the issuance of Russian passports to the Berkut special
task force] is going according to plan. Several dozen passports have
been issued. Their number is increasing,” Svetlichny told Interfax on
Monday.

“No decision has yet been made on the people who can seek Russian
citizenship. For this reason, we are asking people to be patient and
follow information reports,” he said.

“The situation is normal. There are lines at the general consulate,
but those people are not Berkut troops. They are citizens who would like
to get Russian passports quickly using a simplified scheme. We are
explaining to them that this work is now being done for humanitarian
reasons. We are only issuing passports to Berkut troops in accordance
with the legislation and on the basis of individual requests,” the
source said.

Svetlichny said the Russian general consulate is now fulfilling the
Russian administration’s order to issue Russian passports to “the Berkut
troops who were involved in the conflict with radicals and extremists
on the streets of Kyiv.