500 Applications in First Day! Lugansk Opens Up First Russian Citizenship Application Office!

In Lugansk, the first Russian citizenship application office has started working today. The executive order to simplify the procedure for acquiring citizenship for the residents of certain parts of Donbass was signed by Vladimir Putin at the end of April. On the very first day, hundreds of people joined a line in front of the Migration Service administration. Moreover, even people from the areas under Kiev's control are coming to acquire a Russian passport.

In Lugansk, the first Russian citizenship application office has started working today. The executive order to simplify the procedure for acquiring citizenship for the residents of certain parts of Donbass was signed by Vladimir Putin at the end of April. On the very first day, hundreds of people joined a line in front of the Migration Service administration. Moreover, even people from the areas under Kiev's control are coming to acquire a Russian passport.

Sergey Zenin will tell us what motivates these people.

 

The offices opened on time, and by mid-day, there were already 500 people, and this number is rising literally every minute. The first list of applicants for Russian citizenship is being written by hand in a notebook.

"Now, it's 629 people on the list in total. I'm number 176 on the list, my husband is 177, and my son-in-law is 178".

The Lugansk People's Republic has received as many applications as in Donetsk. People here got in line starting 1 a.m. As of now, only 40 people have gone through. Naturally, there're some technical issues. But it's a trial mode. Starting tomorrow, both republics will see several dozen application offices open. For the people of retirement age, a Russian passport gives hope for better welfare. For young people, it's a hope for education and new opportunities. Now, what has been de facto for them will become de jure.

"Thank God! Hooray! At last! I believe that we've moved on from a dead point".

"I'd like to legalize myself in Russia, to have an opportunity to gain official employment in Russia".

"Everything is convenient, everything's good. They don't make us spend nights here. If you come, you get your number in line".

For now, in the Lugansk Republic, there will be 18 application offices. But it suddenly turns out that there could be many more applicants. Lugansk residents who once fled the war zone hurried back today.

At the checkpoint in the town of Luganskaya, around 1,500 people have gathered on the other side in Ukraine. The people have been standing all day long, and they are being let in very, very slowly, because of those returning to Lugansk in order to apply for a Russian passport.

Lillya was born in Lugansk but she now lives in a neighboring area of Ukraine. He husband stayed there. She came to inquire about the procedure to acquire Russian citizenship. She says she's not alone, her neighbors are here too.

"Four people from the street where I used to live — and my husband is still there — are going with me to apply for Russian passports".

It's no longer news for the Lugansk Ministry of Internal Affairs. It's impossible to give definite numbers due to evident reasons, but according to different sources, it's no less than 3,000.

Mikhail Paraskeev, Deputy Minister: "A considerable part of the population of the former Lugansk Oblast, which is now a part of Ukraine, wants to receive passports from the Lugansk People's Republic in order to apply for citizenship in the Russian Federation later".

To acquire a Russian passport, the residents of Ukraine who have left Lugansk will need to acquire an LPR passport first. It could add a month to the 3-month period of the application processing in Russia. But people are not deterred. They've been waiting for a very long time.

Sergey Zenin, Dmitry Malyshev, Alexey Yaldin, Andrey Rudenko, Oleg Bondarenko, Vesti.