Our Planet Climate and Geopolitics
Ukrainian citizens “illegally staying” in Russia for more than 90 days, including those living in occupied regions of Ukraine, will have to leave by 10 September or “legalise their stay”, according to a new decree from Vladimir Putin.
This means Ukrainian residents of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhya and Kherson regions of Ukraine – described as part of Russia in the updated Russian constitution – may be forced to get Russian passports or be expelled from their homes.
The decree says they must also undergo a “medical examination” by 10 June to confirm “the absence of illicit drug or psychotropic substance use, infectious diseases and HIV infection”; and submit medical documents to the local office of Russia’s Interior Ministry.
Ukrainians who’ve already been photographed and registered with fingerprints will be exempted from liability for violating the decree provided they contact the police for their “legalisation”.
The lines between bureaucracy, forced Russification and ethnic cleansing are already too blurred to tell them apart.
Photo credits: Jose Colon/Anadolu via Getty Images
