Russia is even recruiting. “For people from annexed areas”

The Russian army will be able to receive countless people in its ranks. State pride adopted provisions allowing people without citizenship to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense. They will allow the inhabitants of the occupied areas of Ukraine into the army.

On Tuesday afternoon, the state pride of the Russian Federation in the third reading adopted a law that allows stateless to sign the service contracts in the Russian army. The justification of the document published on the Duma website stated that the regulations are aimed at “expanding the circle of people who may undertake military service on the basis of a contract.” Until now, only persons with citizenship – both Russia and foreign countries – could have been signed with the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

In an interview with the RBC.RU portal The new regulations were developed primarily for people who live or lived in an annexed territories of Ukraine, and being deprived by the authorities in Kiev citizenship, “for objective reasons” were not able to obtain a Russian passport. Kartapołow also added that the problem also concerns “many inhabitants of European countries who, when moving to Russia, are deprived of their citizenship.”

At the same time, the politician argued that the regulations are not the result of difficulties related to the recruitment of contract soldiers. “This is a bill that largely reflects and protects the interests and rights of people who want to become citizens of the Russian Federation,” he added.

According to the Border Service of the Federal Security Service, in 2024, over 89,000 stateless people entered Russia. This number does not include tourists and transit people.

Tomasz Dawid Jędruchów (PAP)

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