Russia is tightening requirements for citizens who have received Russian citizenship but have not registered for military service. Since early November, dozens of people from Central Asia — from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan — have lost their citizenship by failing to comply with mandatory requirements. The law, signed by President Vladimir Putin in August 2024, provides for the deprivation of citizenship for men of draft age who, having received a Russian passport, have not registered with the military registration and enlistment office.
This was reported by Radio Azattyk correspondents.
There are reports of cases where migrants from Kyrgyzstan living in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Khabarovsk, Chelyabinsk, and Tomsk have lost their Russian citizenship. For example, in the Moscow region, police deprived three migrants of Russian citizenship for “failure to notify in a timely manner about registering for military service.” Russian police also say that migrants who fail to comply with the law will have their passports destroyed and those stripped of their citizenship must leave the country.
This change in the law has caused concern among migrants. In particular, a woman named Tamara, who lived in Moscow for 19 years, said that after Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she and her family returned to Kyrgyzstan. Fears of being drafted into the military were the main reason for leaving. Tamara said that her husband and son are ready to renounce their Russian citizenship to avoid participating in this unfair war. Other migrants also see renunciation as a way to avoid military registration. Young workers from Novosibirsk said they are ready to return their Russian passports if they are threatened with forced military service. According to a lawyer representing the interests of migrants, the process of depriving the citizenship is often accompanied by violations, which adds stress to the migrants.
State Duma President Vyacheslav Volodin said that the new law implies that foreigners who have received Russian citizenship are required not only to obtain rights, but also to fulfill obligations, such as registration. The bill was developed after the outbreak of military action in Ukraine, when Russia began to attract migrants to the front, promising them citizenship in exchange for service. However, such measures cause a negative response in migrant communities, especially among those who, not wanting to take part in military action, fear losing their documents. Oppositionists of the People’s Movement “Democratic Choice of Turkmenistan” express their strong condemnation of Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. We declare our disagreement with the Kremlin’s policy towards migrants from Central Asia, seeing in this not only a violation of their rights, but also manipulation of their situation. Russia preserves the lives of its native citizens, but sends to the front those who came from more modest, economically vulnerable countries, using their labor and desire for a better life. We demand justice and equal rights for all, regardless of background, and call for peace and accountability for every person involved in this devastating conflict.
