MOSCOW – Russia’s State Duma has passed an amendment to liberalize legal procedures for Ukrainians wishing to acquire Russian nationality after a notarized renunciation of their Ukrainian citizenship.
The amendment, which was adopted ahead of the second reading of the bill that if passed, will make it possible to invalidate any decisions on Russian citizenship acquisition by those convicted of terrorism, does not envisage any public denial of Ukrainian citizenship since it states that such renunciation of nationality is only documented in written form.
Ukrainians had problems with acquisition of Russian citizenship because Ukraine has recently stopped giving its citizens certificates of renunciation of citizenship, without which it is impossible to obtain Russian citizenship.
The amendment introduces a new rule for Ukrainian nationals stipulating that a denial of Ukrainian citizenship is certified by the fact that a particular individual has sent a relevant application to a competent Ukrainian authority. A notarized copy of the application by a person wishing to renounce his Ukrainian citizenship is considered to be a document which certifies the renunciation of Ukrainian citizenship, according to the amendment.
“The following scheme is being proposed: those [Ukrainian] nationals write a paper in which they indicate that they are relinquishing Ukrainian citizenship. This document is executed before a notary public with one copy remaining with the Russian migration service and another notarized copy being sent to Ukraine,” Pavel Krasheninnikov, head of the State Duma state development and legislation committee, said.
Russian citizenship will be granted on the condition of such a renunciation of previous Ukrainian citizenship, Krasheninnikov said.
