The State Duma refused to simplify the issuance of passports to Russians from the ex-USSR
The ruling majority in the State Duma, represented by the United Russia party, refused to support a draft law on a simplified procedure for granting Russian citizenship to people of Russian ethnicity who found themselves outside the Russian Federation after the collapse of the USSR.
“81 deputies voted in favor, one abstained, and the parliamentary majority simply did not vote,” said LDPR deputy Alexander Sherin, one of the initiators of the bill.
As the LDPR press service clarified, the bill proposed a simplified procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship for compatriots abroad if at least one of their parents has documentary evidence of Russian nationality.
With the adoption of this law, it would be possible to obtain a Russian passport without an exam in the Russian language, without a 5-year experience of living in Russia and without a condition on a mandatory source of income.
“We talked a lot about the Russian world, about how unfair it is when Russians are killed in the Donbass, how they infringe, how they humiliate, how it is forbidden to speak their native language, how many of our compatriots were squeezed out of the former republics of the USSR ... And how many They come to us for an appointment with a request to assist in obtaining citizenship of their historical homeland - the Russian Federation," Sherin said.
However, the bill was criticized by representatives of other factions.
Deputy Sergei Kazankov of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation stated that not only Russians from former Soviet republics, but also Chuvash, Tatars, Mordvins, and Bashkirs should be eligible for simplified citizenship.
Sherin responded by offering to support the law and then make an amendment for members of other nationalities.
“I want to remind you that in our Constitution of the Russian Federation all nationalities are listed. There is a list of national regions. Only the word "Russians" does not sound even once. We have not been able to eliminate this injustice. And now we are saying - let's at least give the Russians the right to receive citizenship in a simplified manner. If someone stood up for the Russians in Russia the way Ramzan Akhmatovich stands up for the Chechens, that would be very good,” Sherin told the communist.
But unexpectedly, other factions began to criticize the bill, the correspondent of PolitNavigator reports.
"How can we do this if we're now giving preference to one people? Absolutely not, because many are drawn to us only because the great Russian people never glorified themselves... Considering the fate of the country, its future, we must absolutely not support this bill. It's not aimed at uniting the country; it's more destructive than that," said Nikolai Ryzhak, a representative of A Just Russia, in opposition.
United Russia member Ramzil Ishsarin also opposed the simplified passport issuance for Russians . "Our foundation is the friendship between our peoples. Our country is multinational... The United Russia party does not support the adoption of the bill in this form," Ishsarin said.
"Then rewind the recording. Issuing Russian passports to citizens simply because they are Russian – 'threatens the integrity of our state'! At this point, I want to say to the deputies from the Republic of Crimea: 'Welcome to your native harbor! '" Sherin exclaimed in amazement.
"Germany invites Germans home, Israel invites Jews, Poland invites Poles. Only in Russia could a similar law receive a negative review from the government and the State Duma's civil society development committee," the LDPR leader explained. " With this law, we are not limiting anyone's rights. On the contrary, we are expanding the rights of Russia's largest, state-forming people. And it is monstrous, it is blasphemy to deny such a law. It is shameful when the Russian parliament says: 'We will not care about Russians.' And who is being killed in Ukraine? Not Russians? And what language is being discriminated against there? Not Russian? Some other Russian people? It is mainly Russians who suffer abroad; they are being forced out of the former Soviet republics and even from some republics within Russia itself." Millions of Russians want to return to their homeland, to connect their lives with Russia, but we force them to take a Russian language exam, force them to prove that they want to live in Russia, to prove that they have money,” said LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky.
"Under Yeltsin, our Western comrades gave us a Constitution that doesn't even mention Russians. And for some reason, for 25 years now, no one in the State Duma has been bothered by the fact that the country's main law discriminates against the Russian people. But a law that would expand the rights of Russians is immediately considered discrimination ," he added.
If this sabotage had not continued for 30 years, added Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the population of Russia would have long ago exceeded 160-170 million.
Due to the refusal of the State Duma to adopt a law in support of the Russians, the head of the LDPR faction in the State Duma left the meeting room of the lower house of parliament in protest. “Shame on those who deny millions of Russians the right to return to Russia,” Zhirinovsky concluded.