DONETSK. June 14 (Interfax) - More than 8,000 residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) have already applied for Russian passports, DPR Migration Service head Vladimir Krasnoshcheka told reporters.
"More than 8,000 applications for citizenship of the Russian Federation have already been accepted. As many as 7,500 have already been sent," he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 24 signed a decree naming categories of people eligible for fast-tracked Russian passports. Under the decree, people who permanently live in certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine can apply for Russian citizenship under this fast-track procedure.