It’s a form of thanks.
President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed on Monday opening Ukrainian citizenship to foreign fighters and people of Ukrainian origin without them having to give up their other citizenship.
A radical change, since the law until now prohibits dual nationality.
Anyone applying for naturalization must therefore abandon their original citizenship in order to obtain Ukrainian nationality.
Thousands of people potentially affected
Volodymyr Zelensky assured on social networks that the reform must benefit “foreign fighters who came to defend Ukraine, those who fight for the freedom of Ukraine as if it were their homeland”.
The text will also “allow all ethnic Ukrainians and their descendants throughout the world to have our citizenship, except of course citizens of the aggressor state,” he said.
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Thousands of foreigners have joined Ukraine to help it in its war against Russia since the start of the invasion on February 24, 2022. Moscow describes them as mercenaries, and when it comes to Westerners, sees this as proof of a proxy war that NATO would wage against him.
Several units made up of Russians are also fighting on the Ukrainian side, denouncing the regime of Vladimir Putin.