Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a new decree targeting Ukrainians living in Russia. According to the official legal information portal, Ukrainians who are “illegally staying in Russia” must either leave the country or legalize their status by September 10, 2025.
The decree states that Ukrainian citizens who are in Russia without proper legal grounds must either leave voluntarily or take steps to make their stay legal by the given deadline.
The decree also applies to foreign citizens and stateless individuals who entered the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), and the temporarily occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions before the decree came into effect.
If these individuals have stayed in these areas for more than 90 days without working or if they arrived for work but have not completed the required medical checks, they must undergo a medical examination by June 10, 2025. They are also required to provide documents to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs proving they do not use illegal drugs, do not have dangerous infectious diseases, and do not have HIV.
This move is part of a broader effort by Russia to regulate the status of people living in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Earlier reports have shown that Ukrainians in these areas are being pressured to obtain Russian passports.
Initially, residents of Donbas were given so-called “passports” from the DPR and LPR, which were later replaced by Russian passports. For those who remained in the occupied territories and did not move to areas controlled by Ukraine, having a Russian passport became necessary to access basic services and opportunities, as life without one was made extremely difficult.
In April 2019, Putin simplified the process of obtaining Russian citizenship for people in these regions, removing the requirement to first get a DPR or LPR passport. However, in the occupied parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, many people have resisted the forced passportization.
To pressure them, Russian occupation authorities have linked access to essential services like healthcare, social assistance, and administrative support to the possession of a Russian passport.
This latest decree adds to the ongoing challenges faced by Ukrainians living under Russian occupation or in Russia itself. It highlights the continued efforts by Russian authorities to assert control over these territories and populations, often through coercive measures. The situation remains tense, with many Ukrainians caught in a difficult position as they navigate these demands.
