Over 60,000 Residents of Transnistria Apply for Russian Citizenship

More than 60,000 residents of the left bank of the Dniester River, which is outside the control of Chisinau, have applied for Russian citizenship through a simplified procedure. This information was provided by Vadim Krasnoselsky, the leader of the unrecognized Transnistrian Moldovan Republic.

In mid-May, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that simplified the procedure for granting Russian citizenship to residents of Transnistria. According to this document, all adult residents of the region have the opportunity to apply for Russian citizenship without fulfilling a number of additional requirements, such as passing examinations in the Russian language or Russian history. Additionally, Russian passports are also issued to orphaned children from Transnistria upon the submission of applications by their guardians.

Putin had signed a similar decree in 2019, simplifying the process of granting Russian citizenship to the residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics in eastern Ukraine.

Transnistria is located on the left bank of the Dniester River and is considered part of Moldova. It declared independence in 1990, but has not been recognized by any UN member state. The region is home to a Russian operational group of troops. The population of the self-proclaimed republic is around 470,000 people.