ROSTOV-ON-DON, January 29. /TASS/. Russian citizens permanently residing in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR, LPR) can join the Russian Armed Forces if they so wish, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma (the lower house of parliament) Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots Viktor Vodolatsky told TASS on Saturday.

"If Russian citizens residing in the DPR and LPR want to join the Russian Armed Forces, the Rostov regional military commissariat will register and draft them," the lawmaker pointed out, adding that if drafted, those people would perform military service in Russia.

According to Vodolatsky, the question about ensuring the safety of Russian-speaking people is one of the most frequently asked ones at meetings with residents of the Donbass republics, who are very much concerned about the possibility of an invasion by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.