Lithuania calls for tougher sanctions against Russia over issuance of passports for Donbas residents Friday, April 26, 2019 2:00:16 PM

​​The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry condemns Russia's decision to simplify Russian passports issuance to the residents of the occupied Donbas and calls on the international community to tighten sanctions, reads the statement published on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania website.

“The Foreign Ministry strongly condemns the decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, simplifying the procedure of granting Russian citizenship to Ukrainian citizens living in the temporarily occupied territories in Donetsk and Lugansk. Lithuania considers such a decision an illegal interference in the internal affairs of Ukraine as a gross violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” says the message.

Lithuania calls on the international community not to recognize illegally issued documents, as well as to impose sanctions against the Russian Federation for the continuing violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

On April 24, 2019, Putin signed a decree allowing residents of certain regions of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions to obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner. This procedure exempts the residents of the areas of the Donbas, which are under the control of pro-Russian militants, from the requirements to pass compulsory exams and live in Russia for more than five years prior to applying for citizenship.

In connection with this decision, the UN Security Council called an emergency meeting regarding Ukraine. It may take place on Thursday, April 25.

Rumors that Russia after the second round of elections in Ukraine could introduce a simplified procedure for granting citizenship to LPR and DPR residents appeared in mid-April. According to the similar experience of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, this should relieve social tensions in the occupied territory by providing the possibility of free travel to Russia for work.

According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, despite the war in the Donbas and the annexation of the Crimea, there are about 3 million Ukrainian citizens in Russia. In December, the Russian Federation has passed the law that simplifies obtaining Russian citizenship for Ukrainians. In 2018, the Russian Federation granted citizenship to more than 83 thousand citizens of Ukraine.

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