MOSCOW, September 1. /TASS/. Ukrainian citizens who speak Russian will be able to receive Russian citizenship under a simplified procedure, a Russian Interior Ministry official told TASS on Friday.

"A citizen of Ukraine, recognized to be a Russian speaker, needs to submit a notarized copy of his request to renounce his Ukrainian citizenship when applying for Russian citizenship," the official said.

Russian Deputy Interior Minister Alexander Gorovoy earlier said that about 600,000 Ukrainian citizens in Russia are waiting to receive the Russian citizenship. Currently, 476,000 citizens of Ukraine have a temporary residence permit and about 176,000 have permanent residency.

More than 777,000 Ukrainians apply every year to have their permission to work in Russia extended.