Putin Sets Deadline for Ukrainians in Russia: Legalize Status or Depart by September 10

President Vladimir Putin has instructed Ukrainian nationals in Russia to either regularize their immigration status or exit the country by September 10, as stated in a decree released on Thursday.

The decree specifies that Ukrainians lacking «legal grounds to remain or reside in Russia» must depart unless they resolve their legal status within the next six months and ten days.

This directive seems to target holders of Ukrainian passports from four regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia — that Russia claims to have annexed in 2022, in addition to those from Crimea, which has been under Russian control since 2014.

In recent years, Russian authorities have exerted pressure on Ukrainians in these occupied areas to acquire Russian citizenship. Earlier this month, Putin asserted that the government had «virtually completed» the mass distribution of Russian passports in these regions last year.

Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev reported that around 3.5 million Russian passports have been granted to Ukrainian citizens residing in territories captured by Russian forces.

Ukraine has characterized Russia’s so-called «passportization» as «illegal» and a severe breach of its sovereignty. This action has been criticized by Western governments and human rights organizations, and the European Union does not recognize these passports as valid for travel.

Putin’s decree follows the establishment of new migration laws last month, which have made it easier for Russian authorities to deport migrants.

Additionally, the new order mandates that foreign individuals who arrived in the occupied Ukrainian regions prior to Russia’s annexation in September 2022 must undergo drug and HIV testing by June 10.