Russian dictator Volodymyr Putin has been signing a decree for days that forces Ukrainians in the occupied territories to either accept Russian citizenship or leave. This may be partly due to the policy of Russification and the weakening of Ukrainian identity.
RBC-Ukraine reports this from a message to the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain in X (Twitter).
According to British intelligence data, on February 20, 2025, Putin signed a decree that would force citizens of Ukraine who live in Russia or on sovereign Ukrainian territory to illegally occupy Russia, “to regulate its legal status” by June 10, 2025 or to deprive the territory.
“Putin’s decree may well be on the verge of discouraging Ukrainian citizens from leaving the Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine who are hoping to accept Russian passports,” the source noted.
Now, according to Britain, Putin and the Russian government will continue to pursue a policy of Russification in the illegally occupied territory of Ukraine as part of the long-standing efforts to weaken Ukrainian culture, identity and sovereignty.
“Russia illegally and illegally designates both occupied and unoccupied Ukrainian territory in the Ukrainian regions – Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizkaya, Kherson, as well as Crimea – part of the Russian Federation. This directly reflects Russia’s recognition of the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine after the collapse of the Radyansky Union, as well as the wider international recognition of Ukraine,” according to the British intelligence report.
Russian ultimatum
We remember that on February 20, Putin signed a decree stating that Ukrainians who are “illegally staying in Russia” must “legalize” their status by February 10, or else leave the country.
Of course, under “regulate the situation”, the language is clearly about getting a Russian passport.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reacted sharply to the Russian ultimatum to Ukrainians in Russia.
Read terminology and important information about the war between Russia and Ukraine on the RBC-Ukraine channel on Telegram.