The decree states that the citizenship of the Russian Federation can receive persons who are 18 years old and who, as of August 26, 2008, had “citizenship” of Abkhazia or South Ossetia.
To provide Russian citizenship, Putin made it possible not to comply with a number of statues of the Law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation”.
The Moscow Times writes that to obtain citizenship of the Russian Federation, residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are now not required for five years of residence in Russia, knowledge of the Russian language, the history of the country and the foundations of its legislation.
The publication drew attention to the fact that the decree was allegedly signed “in order to protect human rights and freedoms” and was based on “interstate double citizenship agreements.” According to these agreements with South Ossetia and Abkhazia, residents of these Georgian regions are allowed to obtain Russian citizenship “without refusing the existing.”
Context
Abkhazia, like South Ossetia, according to Georgian law, are territories occupied by the Russian Federation. The regions proclaimed independence from Tbilisi in the early 90s.
In the 2000s, the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia was recognized, in particular, Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Nauru.
On August 8–12, 2008, an armed conflict occurred between the Russian Federation and Georgia. Russian troops, together with South Ossetian and Abkhazian formations, supplanted Georgian troops from South Ossetia, which is officially part of Georgia, temporarily occupying a number of Georgian regions adjacent to the conflict zone.
