LPR, DPR residents naturalized by Russia can keep original citizenship - Russian Interior Ministry
NOVOSHAKHTINSK. April 29 (Interfax) - Residents of the self-proclaimed Donbas republics do not have to renounce their original citizenship when naturalized by Russia, Kirill Alzinov from the Russian Interior Ministry's Main Migration Directorate told Interfax on Monday.
"Renouncement of the original citizenship is not a requirement," Alzinov said in response to a question from Interfax on whether Donbas residents would have to renounce their Ukrainian, LPR, or DPR citizenship.
As reported earlier, a center issuing Russian passports to residents of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) began its trial run in Novoshakhtinsk in the Rostov region on Monday. A migration center is due to open in the Rostov region on Tuesday for issuing passports to DPR residents.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Executive Order "On Identifying Groups of Persons Entitled to a Fast-Track Procedure when Applying for Russian Citizenship on Humanitarian Grounds" on April 24 to allow simplified naturalization of residents of certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.