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Nearly 530,000 Donbass citizens receive Russian citizenship in simplified procedure

According to the Interior Ministry, the applications by 2,000 citizens of the DPR and LPR were rejected

MOSCOW, May 2. /TASS/. Nearly 530,000 citizens of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics have obtained Russian citizenship in a simplified procedure over the past two days, the Russian Interior Ministry’s press service told TASS on Sunday.

"Since the start of fulfilling the Russian president’s decree of April 24, 2019 <...> more than 527,000 individuals, who permanently live in the territories of certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine, have received Russian citizenship," the press service said.

According to the Interior Ministry, the applications by 2,000 citizens of the DPR and LPR were rejected.

On April 24, 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree simplifying the process of obtaining Russian passports for residents of the self-proclaimed Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics.

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