Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order Wednesday allowing residents of the southern Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia to apply for Russian citizenship.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is in a meeting.
The decree issued Wednesday by Putin approves fast-tracked citizenship applications for people in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions who have been held by Russian forces.
Two weeks ago, the deputy head of the Russian-installed administration in Kherson said he planned to appeal to Putin to annex the area.
The citizenship decree is a sign that Putin intends to annex parts of southern Ukraine.
Most of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions have been controlled by Russia since early March. The Kremlin has yet to annex Ukrainian territory, despite predictions that it would do so as soon as this month. Russia has turned to the passportization tool it has used for decades to exert control in foreign countries. Since the beginning of the year, residents of the Donbas have been able to apply for Russian passports. The program was indicative of Russia's plans to annex the region, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
About 520,000. According to Harvard University research published in January, how many Ukrainians in the Donbas region received Russian passports between the years of 2020 and 2021.
Will Russia annex Kherson from Ukraine? The Kremlin and local authorities are working. (Forbes)
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