MOSCOW, December 26. / TASS /. The number of foreigners who acquired Russian citizenship over the past 11 months reached 667,939, which is almost 105,000 more than the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

"From January to November 2021, the number of those who were granted Russian citizenship amounted to 667,939," the statement reads. Meanwhile, during the same period last year, this figure reached 563,342.

According to the Russian interior ministry, the number of foreigners who were registered as migrants also increased. In 2020, this figure stood at 8,983,944, while some 11,895,887 migrants were registered from January to November this year.

At the same time, the residents of the countries with visa-on-arrival access visited Russia less often this year. "From January to November 2021, some 183,157 visas were issued to foreign citizens and stateless persons," the interior ministry noted. For the same period in 2020, this figure surpassed 206,000.

In late September, Chief of the Main Directorate for Migration of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs Valentina Kazakova mentioned that the demand for Russian citizenship was growing. According to her, a significant part of those willing to obtain Russian citizenship are represented by the residents of Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and Kazakhstan.