The decree of the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, which obliged Ukrainians living in Russia or in the occupied Ukrainian territories to "settle their legal status" by September 10, is likely aimed at forcing citizens of Ukraine who refuse to accept Russian passports to leave the occupied territory. This is stated in a new report by the British Ministry of Defense based on intelligence data, writes UNN.
Details
British intelligence reminded that on March 20, Putin signed a decree, which obliged citizens of Ukraine residing in Russia or on the sovereign Ukrainian territory illegally occupied by the Russian Federation to "settle their legal status" by September 10, 2025, or leave the territory.
"Putin's decree is almost certainly aimed at forcing citizens of Ukraine who refuse to accept Russian passports and citizenship to leave the Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine. Putin and the Russian leadership continue to pursue a policy of Russification in the illegally occupied territory of Ukraine as part of long-standing efforts to destroy Ukrainian culture, identity and statehood," the report said.
It is emphasized that Russia mistakenly and illegally defines both occupied and unoccupied territory of Ukraine in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, Kherson regions, as well as Crimea as part of the Russian Federation.
"This is in direct contradiction to Russia's recognition of the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union, as well as the broader international recognition of Ukraine," British intelligence notes.
Addition
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the decree of the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, according to which Ukrainian citizens who are illegally in Russia are obliged to leave by September 10 or legalize, null and void and stressed that this is another step in the Russian campaign to discriminate and persecute Ukrainians.