Russia Claims Issuance of 2.2 Million Passports in Occupied Ukrainian Regions

On August 9, Russia's Interior Ministry announced that it had issued 2.2 million passports in the occupied Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk since October 2022.

The claim, made by Russian Interior Ministry official Irina Volk on her Telegram channel, could not be independently verified.

According to the US research group Ukraine Conflict Observatory, Russia has been systematically pressuring residents of the occupied areas to accept Russian passports. The Yale University researchers reported last year that Ukrainians in these territories face threats, intimidation, restrictions on humanitarian aid and basic necessities, and the risk of detention or deportation.

In July 2022, shortly after the full-scale invasion began, Russian leader Vladimir Putin signed a decree to “simplify the process” of obtaining Russian citizenship for residents of Russian occupied Ukrainian areas. He further mandated in an April 2023 executive order that residents must apply for Russian citizenship by summer 2024, with severe penalties for refusal, including loss of property rights, imprisonment, and deportation.

On July 4, Ukraine's National Resistance Center reported that occupation authorities are threatening residents without Russian passports with deportation.

Russia's approach to forced passportization involves two main strategies: streamlining the process for acquiring Russian passports and imposing practical restrictions on those who refuse. This can include denial of medical services, social benefits, driving and employment rights, and threats of violence or intimidation.

During the massive flooding in Kherson region following Russia’s destroying of the Kakhovka dam last year, Russia reportedly allowed evacuations only for those holding Russian passports, according to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces.