Russia offering citizenship to all Ukrainians

Russian President Vladimir Putin is offering Ukrainians a fast-track to Russian citizenship. Putin’s decree, which expands an existing program, is seen as another maneuver to expand influence in the war-torn country.

Ukrainian officials have yet to react to Putin’s announcement.

Originally, Russia’s fast-track to citizenship option was only offered to people living in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which are collectively known as the Donbas. From 2019 to now, more than 720,000 people in the rebel-held area, or about 18% of the population, received Russian passports through the program.

In May, three months after Russia invaded Ukraine, the fast-track procedure was expanded to include people living in Zoporizhzhia and Kherson, areas largely under Russian control. The first Russian passports were reportedly handed out there a month ago.

Putin’s decree to expand citizenship to more Ukrainians comes on the same day Russian shelling in Kharkiv killed three and injured dozens, including children.

Kharkiv’s Regional Governor, Oley Syniehubov, said the shelling came from multiple rocket launchers.

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

Syniehubov said those hospitalized for their injuries included children between the ages of 4 and 16. He described the strikes as “absolute terrorism.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.