Putin Orders Ukrainians to Legalize Residency or Leave Russia by September

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree requiring Ukrainian citizens in Russia to either legalize their immigration status or leave the country by September 10. The order, published Thursday, affects Ukrainian passport holders without official residency permits.

The decree applies to Ukrainians from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, regions that Russia claims to have annexed in 2022, as well as Crimea, which was seized in 2014. Over 3.5 million Russian passports have already been issued to Ukrainians in these territories, according to Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev.

The Ukrainian government has strongly condemned Russia’s “passport ization” policy as a violation of sovereignty, while Western nations and human rights organizations have criticized Moscow’s actions. The European Union has refused to recognize these Russian-issued passports as valid travel documents.

The decree follows new Russian migration laws introduced last month, which tightened deportation measures for foreign nationals. Additionally, foreign citizens living in annexed Ukrainian regions since before September 2022 must undergo drug and HIV testing by June 10 to maintain their residency status.