Russia will allow residents of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions in southern Ukraine to apply for a Russian passport through "
a simplified procedure
", according to a presidential decree issued on Wednesday (May 25th).
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The Kherson region has been entirely conquered by the Russian army since its offensive launched on February 24, while that of Zaporijjia is partly controlled by Moscow.
The new authorities of the two regions, designated by the Kremlin, have already expressed the wish to be attached to Russia.
The presidential decree in question also applies, since 2019, to the inhabitants of the separatist territories of Lugansk and Donetsk, whose respective armies participate with Moscow in the fighting against Ukraine.
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Several hundred thousand inhabitants of these separatist territories have already received Russian passports.
On Monday, the pro-Russian authorities in Kherson announced the introduction in the region of the Russian national currency, the ruble, alongside the Ukrainian hryvnia.
A Moscow-appointed regional official, Kirill Stremoussov, said he hoped the region would switch entirely to the ruble by the end of the year.
