“Oleg Ivanov Analyst Vox Ukraine Dual citizenship. Will it play into the hands of Ukrainians? November 22, 13:30 NV Premium Share: “Ukraine needs the institution of multiple citizenship.” This was announced by Volodymyr Zelenskyy on November 19, presenting the Internal Stability Plan in the Verkhovna Rada. Let’s find out if this is really so. In the conditions of war and large-scale migration, the state is looking for various ways to preserve the country’s human potential. Dual citizenship is one of them.”, — write on: ua.news
“Ukraine needs the institution of multiple citizenship.” This was announced by Volodymyr Zelenskyy on November 19, presenting the Internal Stability Plan in the Verkhovna Rada. Let’s find out if this is really so.
In the conditions of war and large-scale migration, the state is looking for various ways to preserve the country’s human potential. Dual citizenship is one of them. So now 40 draft laws have been registered in Ukrainewhich in one way or another relate to the topic of citizenship, in particular dual citizenship. Perhaps, in the end, it will be introduced, since there are several important reasons for this.
First, foreign volunteers who arrived in Ukraine to serve in the Armed Forces and the National Guard risking their lives defending the sovereignty of our state. However, not all of them are ready to renounce their citizenship. The introduction of multiple citizenship will allow these people to obtain proper legal status in Ukraine.
Secondly, due to the full-scale invasion, about 6.5 million Ukrainians are currently in other countries. Presumably, some of them are thinking about obtaining citizenship of the host country. Multiple citizenship can preserve their connection with Ukraine, while at the same time giving them the opportunity to adapt in their host countries.
The third important aspect is the Ukrainian diaspora, formed in the 20th century. According to various data, it is from 7 million to 20 million people in the world. The implementation of multiple citizenship can contribute to strengthening their ties with Ukraine and attracting additional resources for the restoration of the country.
Another important issue is the issue of simplified issuance of Romanian and Hungarian passports to citizens of Ukraine in the western regions. This creates certain political and security risks that need to be addressed. The introduction of multiple citizenship could ensure the transparency of this process and reduce the influence of foreign countries on the internal politics of Ukraine.
Dual citizenship… from the Russian Federation?
Ukraine is unlikely to introduce dual citizenship with aggressor countries. However, it is necessary to resolve the issue with people who acquired this citizenship forcibly or cannot get out of it according to the standard procedure.
First, we are talking about people who will get Russian passports in the occupied territories. Although Ukraine does not recognize such forced passporting, and these people officially remain citizens of Ukraine, the difficult question of their legal status after de-occupation arises. This issue is especially relevant for children who were born during the occupation and never had Ukrainian documents, and the Russian Federation is unlikely to release them from their citizenship formally.
Secondly, what should be done with citizens of Russia and Belarus who fight for Ukraine or live in Ukraine for a long time? Some of them arrived before the start of the large-scale invasion or even before 2014. According to the State Migration Service of Ukraine, as of February 29, 2024, there were 156,191 Russian citizens permanently residing in Ukraine and 1,381 Russian citizens with a temporary residence permit.
Citizenship of Ukraine today
