KUPYANSK, July 30. /TASS/. Residents of the Kharkov region will start receiving passports of the Russian Federation in August, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots Artem Turov said in an interview with TASS.

"The issuance of passports began in a simplified manner in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions," he said, adding "In August, people will already be able to obtain Russian citizenship" in the Kharkov region.

He stressed that the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs is dealing with this matter, and that work has already started. According to him, there is a high demand from the general public.

"It appears to me that everyone now realizes very well that Russia is here to stay, especially after the decisions made at the federal level in terms of the simplified issuance of passports throughout the former Ukraine," Turov said. He specified that Russian educational standards are also coming to the region.