Over recent weeks, Russian government spokesmen have gone out of their way to reiterate that they will not tolerate Ukrainian authorities or their foreign allies harming Russian citizens, wherever they may reside. It so happens that the number of Russian citizens in the Donetsk and Luhansk republics in Ukraine, which today stands at 538,000, is expected to double to over 1 million by the end of the year.
Russian authorities have gone out of their way to facilitate residents of the area obtaining Russian passports and other documents. Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee for CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots Viktor Vodolatsky told TASS on April 25: “To date, all bureaucratic barriers have been removed; a very active process of obtaining Russian citizenship is in progress.” On April 24, 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree simplifying the process of obtaining Russian passports for residents of the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics. The first passports were issued on July 14.