Russia has launched a systematic effort to force residents of occupied areas of Ukraine to accept Russian citizenship as part of its program of consolidating authority. Residents of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya oblasts are subjected to threats, intimidation, restrictions on humanitarian aid and basic necessities, and possible detention or deportation – all designed to force them to become Russian citizens. These efforts parallel the passportization campaign that Russia has executed in Crimea and areas of Donetsk and Luhansk since 2014.

Based on a comprehensive review of open source material, the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) has identified the laws and tactics used to make it impossible for residents to survive in their homes unless they accept Russian citizenship. These laws and tactics violate international law, including the prohibition on discrimination against people living under occupation based on nationality, and forcing people to declare allegiance to an occupying power, both illegal under the Hague Convention and the Geneva Conventions.

Efforts to compel all residents of the Russia-controlled areas of Ukraine to accept Russian citizenship are twofold. First, Russia’s federal government has enacted laws that de jure streamline applying for a Russian passport while simultaneously threatening detention or deportation to those who refuse to apply. Second, Russia’s occupation officials have imposed de facto restrictions on those without Russian citizenship that make it impossible to live in Russia-controlled areas without accepting a passport. These include denial of medical services, social benefits, the ability to drive and to work, and overt threats of violence and intimidation. Both the de jure and de facto components of Russia’s passportization program appear to constitute serious violations of international law.

These efforts create a series of ultimatums for residents of Russia-controlled areas of Ukraine. The restrictions on residents without Russian citizenship, which have been added incrementally, make it increasingly difficult for them to meet basic needs such as shelter, food, employment, and medicine.

This report uses open source material to demonstrate the coercive elements of Russia’s passportization campaign. The official decrees, laws, and pronouncements of figures in Russia’s federal government and local occupation authorities publicly identify the steps they have taken to compel acceptance of citizenship. Some of the same actors openly describe the restrictions they have placed or will place on residents who do not accept Russian citizenship in their efforts to convince residents to apply. Yale HRL also examined allegations made by residents of abuse and threats they experienced in the context of passportization.