Putin's new policy offers citizenship to foreigners that willingly fight for Russia

By Team Asianet Newsable | First Published Jan 5, 2024, 5:11 PM IST

Russia has announced fresh changes in the citizenship policy to lure foreign fighters into the Russian army. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the decree on Thursday which further simplifies and speedifies the way to Russian citizenship.

Russia announced a new policy of citizenship for foreigners on Thursday. However, the latest policy is only limited to foreigners who willingly fight for Russia. The move comes as Russia is preparing a fresh assault on Ukraine and it is also looking to play a longer game in the ongoing conflict.

However, the strength of the on-ground troops took a hit post the peak of the conflict last year. Ukraine gained an advantage and momentum in the last 12 months as their precision-based attacks successfully thawed and pushed the Russian military. Many soldiers also left the Russian army due to heightened tension against Ukraine.

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Amidst such a situation, Russian President Vladimir Putin released an order trying to lure foreigners through military contracts. The new policy allows foreigners to acquire Russian citizenship if the people applying sign a military contract with Russia. Those who are already fighting for Russia and have signed a military contract with Russia are eligible for Russian citizenship. The policy is not only limited to the foreigners fighting but even the family members of the fighters are eligible to claim Russian citizenship.

Russia introduced the fast-track citizenship policy in September 2022 following the intensification of the conflict with Ukraine. Vladimir Putin through the fast track policy speedified the citizenship process for foreign fighters. Under the order, foreigners who fought for at least one year were eligible to claim Russian citizenship without proving their proficiency or five-year residency in Russia. The maximum timeframe for providing citizenship was reduced to just three months.

However, the latest move from Russia in the citizenship policy allows foreign fighters to claim citizenship in just one month. But on the other hand, reports suggest that Russian police have been targeting foreigners in the nation and detaining them forcefully. The motto behind detentions is to allegedly force the detainees to sign military contracts with the Russian army.

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