MOSCOW. April 27 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree according to which citizens of Ukraine, the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR), as well as stateless persons (apatrides) are recognized from September 30, 2022 as foreign citizens and stateless persons residing in Russia if they meet a number of conditions.
According to the document published on the official website of legal information, these categories include persons who permanently resided in the LPR, DPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions or who left these territories for Russia before September 30, 2022.
Additionally, these persons must declare their desire to retain their current citizenship or stateless status and refuse to take the oath of citizenship of the Russian Federation.
Foreign citizens and stateless persons who were residing in the new regions as of September 30, 2022, based on the relevant documents issued by the authorities of Ukraine, DPR and LPR, could continue to reside in these territories using these documents until July 1, 2024.
The decree also stipulates the procedure for the above categories of persons to obtain Russian residence permits.