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Russia delivered this Saturday the first passports to the inhabitants of Kherson, a city occupied by Moscow troops in the south of UkraineRussian news agencies reported.
According to the official TASS agency, 23 inhabitants of Kherson received a Russian passport during a ceremony, thanks to a “simplified procedure”, under a decree signed at the end of May by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“All the inhabitants of Kherson want to obtain a passport and (Russian) citizenship as soon as possible,” Vladimir Saldo, head of the pro-Russian local administration in the region, told the official TASS agency during the ceremony.
“This is a new era that begins for us,” he said, according to statements released by the Ria Novosti agency. “This is the most important document a person has in their life,” she said.
According to the pro-Russian authorities in Kherson, the date of issue of the first passports was chosen to coincide with the Russia Day holiday, which is celebrated on June 12 in commemoration of the country’s independence.
Kherson was one of the first regions to fall under the control of Russian troops after the start of their offensive on February 24.
The decree signed by the Kremlin at the end of May that authorizes pro-Russian local authorities to issue passports to inhabitants also includes the Zaporizhia region, partially controlled by Moscow troops.
Ukraine denounced the establishment of this special procedure as a “flagrant violation” of its territorial integrity.
“The Russian presidential decree is legally null and void and will not have any consequences” on the “belonging of the inhabitants of the territories temporarily occupied by Russia to Ukrainian citizenship,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry had indicated.
Source: Elcomercio
I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.
