A citizen of Kazakhstan living in the city of Berdsk (Novosibirsk region) received a passport as a Russian citizen after signing a contract to participate in a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine, the national portal "Adyrna" reported. This was reported on the Telegram channel of the city administration.
"According to the decree of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, foreign citizens have been given the opportunity to obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner upon signing an agreement for military service," the report said.
Pavel and Veronika Kontorbayev, residents of Berchan, received Russian citizenship for the first time in the Novosibirsk region. Pavel Borisovych - serves under the contract in the Northern Military District. New passports were ceremonially handed over to the couple by the head of the city of Berdsk, Roman Burdin, and the chairman of the city council, Vladimir Golubev.
The Berdsk administration explained to Kommersant-Sibir newspaper that two more similar applications for citizenship by foreigners are currently being considered.
In mid-May, Russian President Vladimir Putin amended a decree that allows foreign citizens who have signed a contract for military service to obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner. A foreigner participating in a "special operation" must sign a one-year contract to obtain a Russian passport. Previously, foreigners had to sign a contract for at least five years to get citizenship.
The authorities of Kazakhstan have not previously said that the citizens of the republic, who took part in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine, will be prosecuted for pretending to be mercenaries in their homeland. Last spring, the National Security Committee of the republic investigated ten criminal cases based on these facts. However, there was no information about them.
It should be noted that information about foreign citizens who received Russian passports while participating in the SVO (Northern Military District) appeared in the regional media earlier. However, such messages usually do not reveal their personal details and they prefer to hide their faces in the photo.
