Since April 24, residents of the Russia-controlled Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine have been able to receive Russian citizenship through a simplified process. On May 1, this option was made available to all Ukrainian citizens with Russian residence permits. A center for issuing Russian passports to the residents of Donetsk and Luhansk regions has already opened in Russia’s Rostov region. Since early May, people have flocked to these offices, hoping to lay their hands on a Russian passport, even though the process laid out by Moscow requires them to submit their paperwork where they live. Meduza special correspondent Kristina Safonova travelled to Luhansk and the Rostov region to learn more about this dash for Russian citizenship and why people in Ukraine’s Donbas want it so badly.
Meduza: The mad dash for Russian citizenship in separatist Luhansk
People stand with flags as they wait for Denis Pushilin, the leader of the Russia-backed separatists, during his campaign meeting and a concert in Donetsk on Nov. 9, 2018.
