Ukraine Assures No Liability for Ukrainians Forced to Accept Russian Passports in Occupied Territories

The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine assures that the citizens of Ukraine who obtained Russian passports under duress in the occupied territories will not be held responsible.

This was reported on the website of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.

“Situations when a person is deprived of the opportunity to choose, a practice that is often used by the Russian occupation authorities in order to influence the behavior of a person, o that the latter acts not according to his own will, but under the pressure of circumstances due to the fear of repression or the establishment of illegal restrictions,” the statement said. “One of the examples is forced passportization in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, which is one of the many evidences of violation of citizens' rights.”

The statement continues to say that persons who took a Russian passport in order to avoid ill-treatment will not be held liable. Article 40 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, provided there is evidence of the use of mental coercion, provides them with full legal protection in court.

The Ministry of Justice recalled that among the measures taken by the Russian forces in the occupied territories is the forcible Russification of citizens who have a Ukrainian passport. 

At the same time, the Ministry adds that such documents have no legal force and are not recognized anywhere, except in the occupied territories.

The National Resistance Center of Ukraine reported at the beginning of September that by the end of 2024, the Kremlin plans to “passportize” all the population over the age of 14 in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, threatening rights deprivation.