Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has tabled in the Verkhovna Rada a draft law introducing amendments to certain laws of Ukraine on citizenship, which provides for simplifying the procedure for granting citizenship to those who fought for Ukraine or to political refugees from Russia, the press service of the head of state has reported.

"President Volodymyr Zelensky has submitted for consideration by the Verkhovna Rada a draft law on the introduction of amendments to certain laws of Ukraine on citizenship, which is aimed at improving legal support for regulating issues of Ukrainian citizenship," the report reads.

It notes that the bill is intended to actualize certain provisions of the legislation on the acquisition and termination of Ukrainian citizenship and to regulate the issues determining the grounds on which the acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship is not allowed.

The document provides for the exemption of certain categories of persons from the duty to submit an obligation to terminate foreign citizenship upon acquiring citizenship of Ukraine, subject to their taking the oath of a citizen of Ukraine.

In particular, the bill proposes exempting from the duty to submit an obligation to terminate foreign citizenship upon the acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship the persons who are doing (or have done) their military service on contracts with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, helped ensure national security and defense, if they submit a declaration of waiver of foreign citizenship.

It is also planned to exempt from the duty to submit an obligation to suspend foreign citizenship the persons who are nationals of an aggressor state or occupying state and who have been subjected to persecution in their country, subject to the submission of a declaration of waiver of foreign citizenship.

In addition, the draft law proposes widening a range of persons who have grounds for acquiring Ukrainian citizenship by territorial origin, reducing the list of reasons, independent of an individual, for non-receipt of a certificate of termination of foreign citizenship, reviewing the grounds for the loss of Ukrainian citizenship, and clarifying the grounds for revoking the decision to register the acquisition of citizenship, etc.

The document also proposes amending a number of laws of Ukraine, providing for the submission of a declaration on the absence of foreign citizenship by persons applying for admission to the civil service, to the service in local self-government bodies, to the service in law enforcement agencies, etc.

op