Kiev Drafts Response Measures For Putin's Decree On Citizenship For Donbas Residents

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that it had prepared a list of measures to protect national security in light of Moscow's decision to ease the process of getting Russian citizenship for all residents of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions

KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2019) The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that it had prepared a list of measures to protect national security in light of Moscow's decision to ease the process of getting Russian citizenship for all residents of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree facilitating Russian citizenship procedures for all residents of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions. This is a follow-up to a similar decree he signed in April that only covered people who lived in the self-proclaimed republics of the same name, which are not controlled by Kiev. In the face of criticism from Ukraine, Putin has insisted that the move is a purely humanitarian measure aimed at protecting these people's rights.

"In light of the Kremlin's above-mentioned actions, the Foreign Ministry has already prepared for the consideration of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine a list of measures to protect national security, and the legal rights and interests of Ukrainian citizens in accordance with international and Ukrainian law," the ministry said.

The ministry regarded Russia's actions as an interference in its internal affairs and noted that the Russian decrees on "passportization" would not be recognized by Ukraine.

"The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry categorically demands that the Russian side urgently overturn all aggressive decisions regarding Ukraine and eliminate their negative consequences," it added.

In April 2014, the Ukrainian government launched an offensive in its eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, known together as Donbas and which have significant Russian-speaking populations, after they proclaimed independence following what they considered to be a coup in Kiev two months earlier. Ukraine has accused Russia of interfering in its domestic affairs and being involved in Donbas conflict, claims Russia has denied.

Since September 2014, peace in Donbas has been mediated through a number of mechanisms, including the Minsk talks and the Normandy Four contact group. Though three documents on de-escalation measures have been adopted since then, the warring parties continue to violate the ceasefire.