A brutal decision.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Thursday, April 27, threatening Ukrainians with expulsion from territories annexed by Moscow.
The decree defines the means for citizens of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions to obtain Russian citizenship.
The text then specifies that all Ukrainians who have not obtained a Russian passport by July 1, 2024 will be considered foreigners and may therefore be expelled from their homes.
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This measure also concerns residents of Crimea, annexed in 2014. Until now, it was however possible to keep a Ukrainian passport in Crimea.
An escalation which does not guarantee these new citizens the same rights as Russians by birth.
Russians whose nationality is "
acquired
" could indeed easily lose it if they were to violate various provisions of the Penal Code, recalls
Le Monde
.
A possible provision since the adoption of the "
citizenship law
" on April 18.
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And that's not all.
The decree also authorizes the expulsion from these annexed territories of persons who present a
"threat to national security"
, who
"participate in prohibited demonstrations"
,
"support a violent change in the constitutional order"
or even
"finance a extremist or terrorist activity”.
The Kremlin is thus tightening its grip on those it considers
"traitors".
The Russian president signed another decree on Friday that increases prison sentences for acts of "
high treason".
".
They will now be liable to life imprisonment.
Those found guilty of sabotage can be sentenced to 20 years in prison compared to 15 currently.