The EU condemns putin’s decision to hand out passports to Ukrainians and won’t recognize it

The EU condemns putin's decision to simplify the issuance of russian passports to all citizens of Ukraine and will not recognize these documents

Rubryka reports, citing the statement of the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

"The new Russian legislation now simplifying the procedure for all Ukrainians to obtain Russian citizenship is yet another flagrant violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, linked to Russia's illegal war," Borrell said.

He emphasized that the European Union would not recognize such passports.

Borrell also recalled the previous statement of Brussels in response to putin's decision of 25 May and 30 May to simplify the granting of citizenship to residents of the occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions and Ukrainian children without parental care and legally incapacitated persons from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. 

"The European Union strongly condemns any attempts by Russia to replace democratically elected and legitimate Ukrainian administrations. The European Union also condemns the attempts to introduce the Russian rouble as a parallel currency to the Ukrainian hryvnia as well as the attempts to impose Russian curricula and education materials and change the language of tuition in schools in those parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions which are currently under the illegal control of invading Russian armed forces.

Any attempts to alter the status of parts of Ukrainian territory are a clear violation of international law, the UN Charter, and Ukraine's Constitution, they further undermine sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and will not be recognized by the European Union. Russia, its political leadership, and all those involved in violations of international law and international humanitarian law will be held accountable for these illegal actions," the statement said.

On Monday, the president of the aggressor country, putin, signed a decree on the simplified procedure for granting russian citizenship to all Ukrainians.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemned this move and emphasized that issuing passports to Ukrainian citizens was legally void and would have no legal consequences for Ukraine.

"Illegal passportization in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, as well as in Crimea and the temporarily occupied part of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, is a gross violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, norms and principles of international humanitarian law, as well as obligations of the Russian Federation as an occupying power, in accordance with Article 45 of the Hague Convention of 1907 and Article 47 of the Convention for the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 1949," the statement said.

In turn, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, said that the West should respond to putin's repeated actions by increasing arms supplies and strengthening sanctions against russia.

Earlier, Rubryka reported that in the temporarily occupied Kherson region, invaders are forcing prisoners to apply for russian passports to increase "passportization" rates. Also, the occupying "power" of the Kherson region declared that all children born in the area after February 24 would automatically receive russian citizenship

The British Intelligence reported that russia was likely to claim the occupation of the Kherson region as evidence of delivering improved governance and living standards to the Ukrainian people.

Read Rubryka's daily timeline of war: current news on Ukraine's defense against russia's aggression.