Putin signs decree giving all Ukrainians path to Russian citizenship

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday (July 11) expanded fast-track route to Russian citizenship and made it available for all Ukrainians. Putin signed a decree to this effect. Till recently, only residents of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhanskregions and residents of southern Zaporizhzhia and the Kherson regions were eligible for the fast-track route. Now, Putin's decree has made the mechanism available to all Ukrainians. There was no immediate reaction from Ukrainian officials on this development.

Between 2019, when the procedure was first introduced for the residents of Donetsk and Luhansk, and this year, more than 720,000 residents of the rebel-held areas in the two regions "about 18% of the population" have received Russian passports.

Watch | Russian rockets destroy school and children's health centre in Kharkiv

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In the month of May, this fast-track route wasalso offered to residents of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. First Russian passports were reportedly handed out in these regions a month ago.

The move from Putin has come even as Russian shelling killed at least three and injured 31 others in shelling on Ukraine's second-largest city. Hours earlier, Russian troops launched three missile strikes on Kharkiv which the official described as "absolute terrorism".

Oleh Syniehubov, regional governor of Kharkiv, said on Telegram that shelling came from multiple rocket launchers. He added that those hospitalised include children aged 4 and 16.

"Only civilian structures a shopping centre and houses of peaceful Kharkiv residents came under the fire of the Russians. Several shells hit the yards of private houses. Garages and cars were also destroyed, several fires broke out," Syniehubov wrote.

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He said earlier that one of the missiles Russian forces launched on Kharkiv during the night destroyed school another hit a residential building, while the third landed near warehouse facilities.

"All (three were launched) exclusively on civilian objects, this is absolute terrorism!" Syniehubov said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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