President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Decree № 594 on the issue of simplifying the acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship by certain categories of persons.
The document exempts persons who are citizens of the Russian Federation persecuted because of political convictions in the country of their citizenship and apply for citizenship of Ukraine from the need to submit an obligation to terminate foreign citizenship.
The same concerns persons serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, having outstanding merits to Ukraine, or whose naturalization is of national interest (who were or are involved in the implementation of national security and defense measures, measures on rebuffing or curbing the armed aggression of the Russian Federation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions).
According to the document, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine must submit a draft law to the Verkhovna Rada aimed at simplifying the procedure for acquiring Ukrainian citizenship by the above mentioned categories of persons, as well as a draft law on the procedure for granting asylum.
In addition, the Government is commissioned to check, with the assistance of the Security Service of Ukraine, the compliance with the requirements of legislation on citizenship affairs by the State Migration Service, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, diplomatic missions and consular offices of Ukraine when deciding on the acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship.