Foreign soldiers fighting in the war in Ukraine will also be able to take Ukrainian citizenship in the future. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this on Monday. The new draft law should also allow Ukrainians to have dual nationality.
An exception is dual nationality with Russian nationality. Until now, people applying for naturalization in Ukraine had to give up their previous citizenship. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the legal reform on social networks on Monday. Foreign soldiers would “fight for the freedom of Ukraine as if it were their homeland.”
Thousands of foreigners are fighting for Ukraine
Since the war began almost two years ago, thousands of foreigners have joined the Ukrainian armed forces. This includes Russian units that turn away from the Kremlin. This views foreign forces as “mercenaries” and speaks of evidence of a NATO proxy war.
Moreover, Zelenskyy has now issued a decree calling for respect for the rights of Ukrainians in Russian regions. A new document accuses the war opponent of “taking actions to destroy national identity and oppress Ukrainians.” In addition, the rights and freedoms of people in the Krasnodar, Rostov, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh and Kursk regions would be violated.
Repression in Russia
The government will develop an action plan on how to preserve the national identity of Ukrainians in Russia. In addition, crimes against people must be recorded. The decree also criticizes the political repression of the Ukrainian population and the deportation.
After Tsarist and Soviet rule, shifted state borders and deportations during the Stalin era, millions of ethnic Ukrainians live on Russian soil. The Kremlin is believed to repress locals who refuse to accept Russian citizenship. To date, five Ukrainian regions have been declared annexed: the Crimean Peninsula (2014), Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson (2022). According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, there is no Ukrainian nation and the identity is artificially created.
Source: Krone
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