“Passportization” of Ukraine
Russia’s War on Passports
By Sebastian Schneider
7/30/2022, 1:41 p.m
By decree, Kremlin chief Putin decrees that all Ukrainians can become Russian citizens more quickly. It’s the next stage in his fight against Ukraine. Above all, it is another indication of what Putin is planning.
Everything was already prepared. Originally, the Russian forces planned to take Kyiv within a few days. When the Kremlin troops set off from the Belarusian border, they not only had weapons with them, but also a large number of pre-printed passports. The Ukrainian domestic secret service SBU had already at the end of June reportedthat they had discovered numerous such Soviet passports that were to be distributed in the region of the Ukrainian capital.
It turned out differently: Ukraine repelled the offensive on Kyiv, the war is now raging mainly in the south and east of the country. What remains is another indication of what Russian President Vladimir Putin is actually planning in Ukraine. “The forms show that Moscow not only wanted to overthrow the Zelenskyi government and set up a pro-Russian government, but also Russified the Kiev region in order to secure lasting influence,” says Fabian Burkhardt from the Leibniz Institute for Eastern and Western Europe Southeast European Research ntv.de.
Even if the conquest of Kiev failed, at least for the time being, the Kremlin has evidently not said goodbye to its goals. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently spoke of expanding the geographical goals beyond the Donbass. A few weeks ago, his boss laid another foundation for this: Putin announced by decree that all Ukrainians can obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner. The formal act should only last a few months instead of up to eight years, so that as many Ukrainians as possible will soon become Russians – even though it is clear that the vast majority of Ukrainians have no interest in this and on the contrary hope that their country will win.
Part of Russian warfare
Burkhardt sees the accelerated “passportisation” – i.e. the distribution of passports – as an alarm signal. “It shows that Putin’s claims go far beyond the currently occupied territories,” he says. Similarly it is recorded in Kyiv. Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, described the move as “another encroachment on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” This is incompatible with the norms and principles of international law. The “worthless” decree is proof of “Putin’s aggressive desires”.
In Ukraine they have experience with this form of warfare. In 2019, the Kremlin issued two similar decrees within a short space of time for the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. “Putin had already expanded the reach back then,” explains Burkhardt. “The second presidential decree then referred not only to the occupied areas, but to the entire Donetsk and Luhansk regions.” So also the regions that were under the control of the Ukrainian government.
That hurt Ukraine. During Crimea 2014 was annexed, the so-called People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk formally remained in Ukraine as a constant thorn. Not only was a solution to the conflict blocked for years, but an alleged reason for war was also created: “From the Russian point of view, the Ukrainians who have been given a passport are in need of military protection, even if they are not internationally recognized as Russian citizens,” explains Burkhardt. Then the Russian military doctrine also explicitly mentions Russian citizens living abroad.
First the Donbass, now the occupied territories
However, there is little data on how many Ukrainians received Russian passports. According to Burkhardt, at the end of 2021 there were around 600,000 from the occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk, and in the spring of this year around 800,000. “It didn’t happen overnight,” says the political scientist. “The strategy took a long time.” The closer someone was to the power apparatus, the higher the pressure was for them to also get a Russian passport. The separatists supported by the Kremlin concentrated on individual professional groups, such as the police, teachers or the military.
It also doesn’t mean that people with Russian passports are necessarily loyal to the Kremlin. In the Donbass, some accepted citizenship as a kind of “survival strategy” – also because they hoped for economic advantages. The Kremlin tried to reinforce this system with incentives such as social benefits. But neither the Russian pension nor a one-off Corona aid were actually paid out.
Ukraine can do little to counter the Russian passport strategy. Like the EU, it has already announced that it will not recognize Russian passports. But beyond that, it gets complicated. Ukraine has no direct access to the territories and finds it difficult to prevent Russia from pursuing this policy. As early as 2019, it became apparent that Ukraine could do little to counteract this, apart from convictions or calls for sanctions.
Lasting Impact
This is another reason why the Russian armed forces are now pushing ahead with “passportisation” in the Cherson and Zaporizhia districts. Only the response in the occupied areas is extremely low. “It can be assumed that this does not happen voluntarily,” says Burkhardt. Even if there is no direct compulsion, the war situation ensures that naturalization is not voluntary.
In addition, there are the notorious filtration camps, some of which are already being checked in Ukraine to see who has had contact with the armed forces. According to British intelligence estimates Russia “evacuated” about 2.5 million Ukrainians. Many of them ended up in such camps. There it should according to US data not only torture and threats of violence, but also Russian passports should be issued.
The passports are part of the great Kremlin campaign to secure influence in Ukraine for years to come – alongside the military. After southern Ukraine’s Mariupol fell at the end of May, a large lettering with the city’s name in White, Blue and Red painted over. Ukrainian children in the occupied territories have to study with Russian textbooks. Flags are suddenly hanging in the Kharkiv district imperialist Russian symbols. “Passportization” is a clear sign that Russia does not respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, says Burkhardt. Because it always gives the Kremlin an instrument to raise claims to areas that are actually controlled by Ukraine. “That is the most important statement – especially with regard to possible peace agreements.”