Putin speeds up granting citizenship to foreigners entering Russian military

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Thursday accelerating the process of gaining Russian citizenship for foreigners becoming part of the Russian Army while continuing the 22-month war with Ukraine.

This movement comes as Moscow is trying to refresh its military forces in Ukraine by using various methods, including through immigrant recruiting. Russia serves as a magnet to attract hundreds of thousands of people from poor Central Asian countries, and many apply each year to obtain Russian citizenship.

President Putin allowed for the first time in September 2022 acceleration of the citizenship process for foreigners who sign contracts with the Russian Army shortly after announcing the partial mobilization of 300 thousand reserveers.

Migrants who signed a contract for at least a year and who participated in fighting for at least six months were allowed to apply for citizenship without demonstrating enough Russian recognition, or having lived for at least five years in Russia with residence permits. Their mates and children also have the right to apply. Authorities were obliged to decide on these applications within three months, the presidential decree of that period said.

Another decree by Russian President Putin signed in May 2023 further simplified this procedure: The criteria for participation in fighting for at least six months were removed for at least six months, and anyone signing a one-year contract during the <x0 special military operation” of the Kremlin in Ukraine, as well as their wives and children, were allowed to apply with accelerated procedures.

The decree signed Thursday made the process for even faster citizenship. Decisions to apply must be made within just a month. There was no comment from the Kremlin about why Mr. Putin decided to undertake this change.

The new decree comes amid regular media reports of police raids in Russian cities targeting immigrants. According to reports, those arrested in such operations are often offered, or even pressured, to sign contracts with the military, and those who have recently received Russian citizenship are sent to the recruiting offices to determine whether they can perform compulsory military service.

The latest raid, reported by the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, took place on New Year's Eve in St Petersburg and had more than 3 thousand migrants banned in the streets. The report quoted an anonymous police source as saying that the purpose of the operation was to find men to be recruited into the military.

In the fall of 2022, Moscow authorities published advertisements for recruiting and offers for quick citizenship in Uzbek, Tajik, and Kirghiz on several bus lines, RBK reported. Mayor Sergei Sobyani also promised to establish temporary registration centres at government offices for immigrants outside Moscow.

Since the beginning of the attack on Ukraine, Russian leaders have tried to increase military power. Mr. Putin has twice ordered the increase in military numbers, recently in December, reaching a total of 1,032 million soldiers. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has declared that a 1.5-million-strong force is needed “to secure completion of tasks to ensure the safety of Russia”. He did not say when the Russian army would reach these proportions.

The Kremlin considered the Russian military's size sufficient, but this estimate changed after hopes of a quick victory fell in the face of strong Ukrainian resistance.

In August 2022, Mr. Putin ordered an increase in the size of the Russian Army to 1.15 million starting January 1st 2023. In September 2022, he ordered the mobilization of 300 thousand reserveers. This number is already estimated as part of the current military force.

While Mr. Putin has repeatedly said there is no need to recruit more people, his decree of mobilization is indefinitely, allowing the military to call additional reserve when necessary and essentially keep those already called in service indefinitely. The decree also prohibits soldiers from cutting their contracts.

Russian President Putin said last month that 486 thousand new soldiers have signed contracts with the military during 2023. He did not say how many of them were foreign citizens.

Several media reports and human rights groups, authorities have also offered amnesty to prisoners in exchange for military service.

Russia and Ukraine have kept in secret the number of victims from the armed forces. The Russian Army has confirmed just a few more than 60,000 casualties in the military, but Western estimates are much higher. In October, Britain's Defence Ministry said Russia “likely suffered 150 thousand -190 thousand permanent victims”, a number involving those killed and seriously injured. / VOA