New Russian Law Expands Citizenship
The Russian Federation recognized Russian citizenship Thursday for millions of people living outside its borders, including republics that have secured independence from Moscow or are still seeking it.
The Russian Information Agency said the law on citizenship adopted by the Russian Parliament will also grant rights to cultural figures once stripped of their Soviet citizenship and to 400,000 emigrants who have gone to Israel.
The law is of critical importance to the 26 million Russians who live outside the vast Russian Federation, particularly in the three newly independent Baltic republics and in the Ukraine, which will hold an independence referendum Sunday.
The information agency said the law makes it impossible to deprive a Russian of citizenship and will extend citizenship to 175 cultural figures who lost their Soviet citizenship when they left the country.
It also grants rights to those who automatically lost their Soviet citizenship when they left for Israel, which restored diplomatic relations with Moscow last month after a break of 24 years.
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