Putin changes law to make it simpler for foreigners to gain citizenship if they fight for Russia

Putin changes law to make it simpler for foreigners to gain citizenship if they fight for Russia

Putin changes law to make it simpler for foreigners to gain citizenship if they fight for Russia. Image: Luca Perra/Shutterstock.com

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin signed a law making it easier for foreigners who signed a contract to serve in the Russian army for at least a year to obtain citizenship, as reported on Saturday, September 24.

A new federal law has been signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin which will grant foreigners, who have signed a contract for service in the Russian army for not less than a year, a simplified scheme to get citizenship in Russia.

As part of the new law signed by President Putin, foreigners serving in the Russian army will be able to apply for Russian citizenship without a residence permit and without residence uninterruptedly for five years in Russia, which was required by the ‘old’ legislation.

The amendments also reduce the minimum period for which foreigners can be contracted from five years to one year, as reported by Russian media outlet RBC.

The draft law on simplification of the citizenship for foreign contractors was approved by the State Duma on September 20 in the second and third readings.

On the same day, the Mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin announced that a military registration and enlistment office would be opened in the migration centre “Sakharovo”.

The Russian Federation Council approved the initiative the day after Russia announced a partial mobilisation in connection with the military operation in Ukraine.

As part of it, 300,000 reservists will be called up for service and undergo additional training, according to Sergei Shoigu, head of the Ministry of Defence.

However, there were claims that one million people could be called up following an alleged leak in Russia’s presidential administration that exposed the seventh point of the “partial mobilisation” decree, which was marked “for official use”.

According to a source for news outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe on Thursday, September 22, “The figure was corrected several times, and in the end, it was stopped at one million.”

This was later called a lie.


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Written by

Matthew Roscoe

Originally from the UK, Matthew is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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