President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, May 25 signed a decree simplifying the procedure to obtain a Russian passport for residents of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Regions in southern Ukraine.
Kherson Region is under the full control of Russian troops, while Zaporizhzhia Region in the south-east is partially controlled by Moscow.
Moscow and pro-Moscow officials have said both regions could become part of Russia.
The official order published Wednesday came on the heels of a 2019 decree that enabled the same fast-track procedure for residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics, eastern Ukraine’s breakaway regions.
Applicants are not required to have lived in Russia, do not need to provide evidence of sufficient funds, or pass a Russian language test.
Several hundred thousand residents of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions have already received Russian passports.
On Monday, May 23 authorities in Kherson introduced the ruble as the official currency alongside the Ukrainian hryvnia.
On Thursday, officials installed by Moscow announced the same measure in parts of the region of Zaporizhzhia.
