The illegitimate president of the aggressor country, Russia, signed a “decree on granting Russian citizenship to residents of Transnistria through a simplified procedure.” The document was published on the Kremlin website.
Foreign citizens and stateless persons over 18 years of age who were permanently residing in the region at the time the decree came into force will be able to submit an application.
For this category, the requirements for prior residence in the Russian Federation for five years, confirmation of knowledge of the Russian language and proof of income, provided for by the citizenship law, are canceled. The simplified procedure also applies to orphans, children without parental care and incompetent persons living in Transnistria; guardians will be able to submit applications for them, the text notes.
It is proposed to submit documents to Russian diplomatic missions and consulates according to the list published by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When submitting an application, you will need to confirm residence in Transnistria, provide an identity card and a certificate of the presence or absence of a criminal record, Putin’s decree says.
The Moldovan portal Nokta writes that with this decision the Kremlin is expanding the “passportization” mechanism, which Moscow has already used in the Ukrainian Donbass, Georgian Abkhazia and South Ossetia as an instrument of political and military pressure.
Watchdog expert Valery Pasha believes that the decree on citizenship for residents of Transnistria changes almost nothing in practice, because most residents of the region already have Russian citizenship. In his opinion, the Russian regime is solving another problem – information and psychological.
“The goal is to play on the fear of war: among politicians, among ordinary citizens, who will say, “let’s better not do anything with Transnistria, as long as this crazy person doesn’t attack,” and among Europeans, who may ask, “Why do we need a country with Russian citizens on its territory?” he wrote on Facebook.
