The State Duma on Tuesday adopted in the first reading the presidential bill “On Citizenship”, which provides for the reduction of requirements for more than 20 categories of applicants for the acquisition of Russian citizenship. At the same time, the institution of termination of citizenship is being introduced for foreigners who have received it for reporting false information or committing a number of crimes. How transmits “Kommersant”, the bill was eventually adopted unanimously, although during the discussion, some deputies criticized the document for insufficient support for compatriots and promised to make appropriate amendments to the second reading.
She told the deputies about the main novelties of the document in comparison with the current law adopted in 2002 Head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Migration Valentina Kazakova. She said that for more than 20 categories of people, primarily from among compatriots, the number of requirements for admission to Russian citizenship is being reduced.
“There are no fixed terms “compatriots” and “repatriation” in the text of the draft, but this does not mean that there are no provisions in it that allow persons who have a historical, family or other connection with the Russian Federation to acquire Russian citizenship in a simplified manner,” Kazakova emphasized.
Thus, people who have close Russian relatives in Russia and the descendants of residents of the Russian Empire or the USSR are granted the right to acquire citizenship in a simplified manner. For compatriots, the procedure for recognizing them as native speakers of the Russian language is excluded.
The bill also expands the powers of the president to determine the categories of persons eligible for simplified citizenship acquisition.
“These, in particular, will include citizens of Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and Kazakhstan, specified in the current law. The draft of the relevant decree is already under development,” the representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs told the deputies.
Finally, instead of abolishing decisions on citizenship issues, the institution of cessation of citizenship is being introduced. This can happen due to the provision of false information when applying for citizenship or as a result of committing crimes.
“This provision will apply only to persons who have been granted Russian citizenship,” Valentina Kazakova emphasized. At the same time, the list of crimes, the commission of which entails the termination of citizenship, will be expanded: along with terrorism, it will include some serious crimes against the state and related to drug trafficking. Decisions to terminate citizenship are subject to mandatory approval by the President of the Russian Federation.
Deputy Alexei Kurinny (KPRF) asked if there was a contradiction in the draft law: it states that the citizenship of the Russian Federation is single and equal, regardless of the grounds for its acquisition, “and at the same time, the institution of termination of citizenship still separates people who received citizenship by birth, and those who were granted citizenship.”
To this, Kazakova replied that the state has the right to raise the issue of terminating the citizenship of a person who took an oath and pledged to comply with Russian law, and then, for example, committed a crime of a terrorist nature.
Special Representative of the Duma for Migration and Citizenship Konstantin Zatulin (United Russia) I was not satisfied with the absence of the concept of “compatriots” in the text (it appeared in the Constitution after the adoption of amendments in 2020) and the provision on the simplified acquisition of Russian citizenship by citizens of Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and Kazakhstan permanently residing in Russia. “Don’t you understand that this will immediately be used to discredit our attitude towards the citizens of Ukraine?” – the deputy was indignant. The representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs objected that the forthcoming presidential decree would be quite enough to resolve the issue with the Ukrainians and Belarusians. Compatriots, according to her, will be able to acquire Russian citizenship in a simplified manner, regardless of the absence of this word in the conceptual apparatus of the bill.
Olga Alimov (KPRF) interested in the new concept of “multiple citizenship”, and she asked what it is for: “To identify alleged patriots or help them go on a” patriotic vacation “?” Valentina Kazakova said with a sigh that the Constitution of the Russian Federation allows acquiring the citizenship of another state, and a new concept appeared “exclusively to take into account the fact that Russian citizens have a different citizenship.”
During speeches from factions Kazbek Taysaev (KPRF) said that the Communists would support the bill, but would make amendments to the second reading. According to him, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation has already received more than 100 proposals to improve the bill. Boris Chernyshov (LDPR) also expressed support, noting: “A person is the soul of our state, we need to expand opportunities for people to come and receive Russian passports.” Dmitry Vyatkin (United Russia) called for moderation in this matter, since “uncontrolled distribution of passports devalues the citizenship of the Russian Federation”, and quoted Vladimir Mayakovsky’s “Poems about the Soviet Passport”, which tells about the pride of a citizen for his “red-skinned passport”. The other extreme, according to United Russia, is excessive obstacles and queues for applicants, and in this sense, the presidential bill “is designed in the spirit of the golden mean.”
As a result, the bill in first reading supported by 418 deputies, there were no opponents, 32 people did not vote. Among the deputies from the Primorsky Territory, everyone spoke in favor.