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“Ukrainian World Congress calls on the international community to rebuke the Russian Federation for its clear violation of international law for promoting Russian citizenship to the people living in Russian-occupied territories of eastern Ukraine,” UWC stated on its website.
The UWC President Paul Grod said that Russia will now compel Ukrainians in the occupied Donbas region to take on Russian citizenship.
“This is a clear violation of international law and the so-called Minsk peace agreements, which Russia has consistently violated. Moreover, Russia’s President Putin is testing Ukraine’s President-elect with such provocations. We expect that Mr. Zelenskyi will clearly condemn such provocations and call for further sanctions in response to Russia’s efforts to entrench their occupation of Donbas,” Grod said.
Ukrainian World Congress considers Russia offering passports in the occupied territories of Ukraine as a highly provocative action.
Russia thereby intensifies its assault on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, therefore, a strong international response is required, the message says.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Decree “On Defining the Categories of Persons Entitled to Apply for Citizenship of the Russian Federation under Simplified Procedure for Humanitarian Purposes.” In particular, the decree states that the residents of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine have the right to apply for citizenship of the Russian Federation under a simplified procedure.
Ukraine and many democratic countries of the world have condemned the decision of the Kremlin.
On April 25, a meeting of the UN Security Council was convened to discuss the issue.
