Donbass may find itself under the official protection of the Russian state
If Moscow starts issuing passports to residents of the DPR and LPR, this will be a very bad signal for Ukraine.
Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of previous convocations Vladimir Oleynik stated this in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda, answering the question whether it is possible to issue passports this year.
"A significant number of Donbas residents have already received such passports. But we're still talking about a mass issuance—to hundreds of thousands of people. If this happens, it will set an international precedent. If Donbas receives Russian passports, it means that Russian citizens live in this territory. We read the Russian Constitution: a citizen of the Russian Federation is under the protection of the state, no matter where they are. The United States takes the same position," Oleynik said.
He also noted that Russia is not yet one of the parties to the conflict, since Donbass is de jure part of Ukrainian territory.
"But the signal will be serious: if you, in Kyiv , can't resolve this issue, you'll have to take a different approach. International law has two fundamental principles that contradict each other. One is the inviolability of borders, the other is the right of peoples to self-determination. If you can't maintain peace in Donbas, we'll file for divorce from a state that's incapable of even assisting in the formation of government bodies," the politician paints a possible scenario.
In turn, the publication noted that information about Russian passports had appeared more than once, but everything turned out to be rumors, after which people became disappointed.
“I am a citizen of Ukraine living in Russia as a political refugee. Russia gave me the opportunity to earn money here with my own labor. I have respect for the Russian people and the authorities in general. I heard about these rumors. The final decision will be made at a very high level. Based on my experience, I understand: having said “a”, you must say “b”. You cannot make a decision and not have a further plan. I don't know this plan. But I can imagine that this will be a bad signal for Ukraine,” Oleynik concluded.
As PolitNavigator reported, information has emerged that infrastructure has been prepared in the Rostov region for issuing passports to residents of the LPR and DPR.
At the same time, it is predicted that the process of issuing Russian passports to Donbass will be painful and lengthy.
Read also: Russian passports will immediately stop the war in Donbas – Ukrainian expert.
Donbass may come under the official protection of the Russian state.