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Granting Russian citizenship to Donbass residents may undermine Ukraine settlement — OSCE

On April 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree allowing the residents of several regions of southeastern Ukraine to receive Russian citizenship in a simplified manner

VIENNA, April 25. /TASS/. The Slovak chairmanship in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has expressed concern over the introduction of a simplified procedure for Donbass residents to obtain Russian citizenship, the OSCE's press service said on Friday.

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Decision to grant Russian citizenship to Donbass residents "humanitarian measure" — envoy

"The Slovak chairmanship believes that this unilateral measure could undermine the efforts for a peaceful resolution of the crisis in and around Ukraine, and calls for adherence to the OSCE principles and commitments by all its participating States. The Chairmanship invites all sides to refrain from unilateral steps and to jointly continue searching for ways how to fully implement the Minsk agreements," the press service said.

"Additionally, the Chairmanship reiterates its call for a sustainable, full and permanent ceasefire and its firm support for the work of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, which plays an essential role in reducing tensions on the ground, and in fostering peace, stability and security," the press service added.

On April 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree allowing the residents of several regions of southeastern Ukraine to receive Russian citizenship in a simplified manner. According to the document, the decision has been made "in order to protect human rights and freedoms" based on universally accepted international laws.

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Ukraine OSCE Eastern Ukraine

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