Total erasure of Ukrainian identity
One of the most disturbing and dangerous practices of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine (TOU) in Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions is the forcible imposition of “Russian citizenship” – the so-called forced passportization. This is another blatant crime of the Russian occupiers.
This process has nothing to do with free choice or the right to personal identity. It is an attempt by the Kremlin to erase the Ukrainian presence, replace the national identity, change the demographic structure and fully integrate these territories into the legal, administrative and military system of the Russian Federation. It has long been no secret that Russia’s strategic goal – the total erasure of the Ukrainian nation and Ukrainian identity – remains unchanged.
In recent months, Russia has established a whole series of legislative and administrative mechanisms to, under the guise of "legality," force Ukrainian citizens to accept Russian passports or leave their homes.
According to Moscow's latest decisions, as of September 10, 2025, all Ukrainian citizens residing in the occupied territories and not having received a Russian passport will be declared "foreigners" with unregulated legal status.
The Russian leadership considers such residents of the temporarily occupied territories to be disloyal and potentially dangerous to the occupying Russian regime. They will be subject to the procedure of “expulsion” beyond the borders of the POT of Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
This is another graphic form of ethnic cleansing and the systematic expulsion of the Ukrainian population from their own country.
These measures have very clear criminal goals aimed at the total erasure of Ukrainian identity in the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by Russia:
- Changing the ethnic composition of the population – by expelling Ukrainians and settling loyal citizens from the POT of Ukraine.
- "Purging" of disloyal elements - those who refuse to obey the regime and are then exposed to repression, searches, kidnappings and other pressures.
- New manpower for the Russian army – after receiving passports, men are mobilized into the Russian army and sent to the front in the war against their homeland.
- Social blackmail – a passport is required to access basic services: healthcare, education, social assistance. Without it – people are left without means of livelihood and are subject to repression by the occupying structures.
This practice is a gross violation of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, which strictly prohibit forcing the population of occupied territories to change their citizenship.
Ukraine does not recognize these "passports" and emphasizes that any forced granting of Russian citizenship in the temporarily occupied territories is legally null and void.
We are grateful to Montenegro and our partners in the democratic world for their support – because this is not just about territory, but about people and their right to remain who they are.
This is not a fight for documents. This is a fight for the right to remain Ukrainian on Ukrainian land.
The author is the ambassador of Ukraine in Montenegro