CHISINAU, August 28. /TASS/. The first 40 residents of Transnistria have received Russian passports under Vladimir Putin's newly introduced simplified procedure for gaining Russian citizenship, Vadim Krasnoselsky, leader of unrecognized Transnistria, said at a news conference.

"Vitaly Ignatiev [Transnistria’s foreign minister - TASS] reported that the first 40 passports under this decree have already been received. The mechanism is now working," Krasnoselsky said.

More than 60,000 people have applied for Russian citizenship under the simplified procedure, he said. "Appointments have now even been suspended because of the large volume of applications being submitted to the consular services department. <...> There will be more," Krasnoselsky said.

Moldovan citizens would also like to use this opportunity, but the new rules do not apply to them, he added.

Estimates put Transnistria’s population at nearly 500,000, including 220,000 people who already hold Russian citizenship. In May, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order establishing a fast-track procedure to Russian citizenship for Transnistria residents. The document was signed "to protect human and civil rights and freedoms based on the universally recognized principles and norms of international law.".