Russia-Ukraine war of words at the UN Security Council over passport issue

Speaking at the UN Security Council meeting on April 25, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said that Ukraine had “outlawed” 4 million of its citizens, but Russia did not force them to apply for Russian passports.

Earlier, Ukraine requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing people in the Donestsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine to apply for Russian passports with simplified procedures.

Ukraine's UN Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko has accused Russia of "invading" and "gradually annexing" the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, "forcing" people there to apply for Russian passports, and using a passport decree to make the implementation of the Minsk agreements impossible.

Mr. Yelchenko believes that the real reason for the decree on issuing Russian passports is efforts to divide Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said that Ukraine has not taken any steps to implement the provisions of the Minsk agreements, ensuring safe access and distribution of humanitarian aid, restoring socio-economic links between the two regions and the rest of Ukraine. Instead, “the living conditions of the people in eastern Ukraine are very difficult, due to the complete blockade of the two regions of Donetsk and Luhansk by Ukraine and the “outlawing” of 4 million people.”

Between April 2014 and April 2019, Russia took in more than 900,000 people from Donetsk and Luhansk. Russia is also home to 2.3 million Ukrainians overall.

“Nobody is forcing these people to apply for Russian passports. We are not forcing them to become Russian citizens,” Mr. Nebenzya said.

He added that Kiev does not guarantee any rights to those it considers Ukrainian citizens, and the people of Donetsk and Luhansk had to seize the opportunity to be under the care and protection of a state.