What Is Vladimir Putin's 'Passportization'? The Sinister Choice Facing Ukrainians in Occupied Territories

Russia's drive to impose its citizenship on Ukrainians in occupied territories, known as 'passportization,' is more than just a bureaucratic manoeuvre—it's a strategic move with profound consequences, leaving residents in an impossible position.

As the US intensifies efforts to end the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued an ultimatum: Ukrainians in seized regions must comply with Russian regulations by 10 September or face penalties.

This decree, released by the Kremlin on 20 March, represents simply the newest action in a continuing effort designed to compel Ukrainians in captured regions to take Russian nationality.

A report from the Institute for the Study of War indicates that Russian forces in control are also still trying to encourage Russian people to move to occupied Ukraine from Russia, which is a clear breach of international regulations.

How Russia Forces Loyalty In Occupied Zones

The reason is straightforward: the more Russian people reside in a seized part of Ukraine, the simpler it becomes for Moscow to defend its grip. Furthermore, with peace discussions underway, demonstrating a false sense of power over Ukraine's eastern and southern regions is currently crucial for the Kremlin.

The option Russia offers Ukrainians is not genuine; declining a passport results in a lack of access to lawful employment, essential medical care, retirement funds, or property ownership, whereas 'deportation' represents something other than a return to Ukraine or another nation.

'We know that a large number of people are kept in detention centers, and they are not deported anywhere,' Kseniia Yeltsova, co-chair of Helping to Leave, a Ukrainian charity that tries to help people leaving the occupied territories, told the Kyiv Independent. 'People are simply gathered there, and that's it.'

Passportization As A Tool Of Control

Giving out citizenship on a large scale to gain geopolitical leverage—a practice known as 'passportization'—is a Russian method with a history of use. The Kremlin had earlier implemented comparable initiatives in the Russian-controlled areas of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia and Transnistria in Moldova, offering specific accelerated procedures for local inhabitants to obtain Russian nationality.

'In Transnistria, for example, a person will likely have a Transnistrian passport, a Moldovan passport, and a Russian passport at the same time,' Maryna Rabinovych, an assistant professor at the Department of Public Policy and Governance at the Kyiv School of Economics, told the Kyiv Independent.

However, officials have progressively complicated Ukrainian paperwork in Ukrainian territories under Russian control. Russian forces partially control the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Russia asserts it incorporated these areas in 2022, even though it doesn't govern two major cities within them—Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Moscow also holds sway over Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.

More Than A Piece Of Paper

The precise number of Ukrainians living under Russian occupation remains uncertain, though in December, President Volodymyr Zelensky estimated the figure to be 'at least several million.'

Officially, Ukrainians who prefer not to acquire Russian citizenship can seek a residence permit and be employed in areas under Moscow's authority. However, in practice, these permits are challenging for Ukrainians to secure.

'In occupied Kherson, there were 17 branches of the Russian Ministry of the Interior where you could receive a Russian passport,' Kateryna Rashevska, legal advisor at the Regional Center for Human Rights in Kyiv, told the Kyiv Independent.

'But there was only one place where you could submit your documents and receive a residential permit,' Rashevska added. Rashevska also notes that these permits are granted based on limited numbers.

For example, in 2022, only 5,000 such permissions were allocated for all of Crimea—a territory where, in 2021, occupation officials stated the population was roughly 2.48 million. Without a permit to live there, Ukrainians who want to stay and work in their seized communities have limited choices.

The Cost Of Refusing A Russian Passport

Based on the enforced Russian regulations, their lack of Russian documents to confirm their standing prevents them from getting retirement benefits or asserting claims to their possessions. They also face barriers to medical care.

Investigations by Reuters and the European Broadcasting Union have revealed instances where individuals without Russian passports were refused crucial medicines or even basic necessities like diapers provided by hospitals for infants.

Children also require Russian documents to enrol in local schools. However, for a child to obtain Russian citizenship, at least one parent must also be a Russian citizen—making it straightforward for occupying powers to put pressure on Ukrainians who decline a Russian passport by using their own children.

'Parents are manipulated because of their children, and children are manipulated because of their education. 'As of today, it is just impossible to survive in occupied territories without Russian documents,' says Rashevska. 'It is a circle without any possibility of escape.'