"Taras always resented his dark-red Russian passport and was happy to replace it with a blue Ukrainian one. But it was a process that took him 11 years and two trials. He is one of more than 150,000 Russian nationals living in Ukraine as the war with Russia continues. Most are relatives or spouses of Ukrainians or were born in Ukraine. Some are dissidents seeking refuge or volunteers with the Ukrainian army."
"They go through several rounds of bureaucratic quagmire to have their residence permits renewed or get Ukrainian citizenship, and face mistreatment anywhere they have to show the colour of their passport. If you have a red passport here, you're not human, even if you have Ukrainian blood, speak Ukrainian and donate to the armed forces of Ukraine, the bespectacled 45-year-old graphic designer told Al Jazeera."
More than 150,000 Russian nationals live in Ukraine during the ongoing war, including relatives of Ukrainians, those born in Ukraine, dissidents, and volunteers. Many face repeated bureaucratic obstacles to renew residence permits or obtain Ukrainian citizenship. Possession of a Russian dark-red passport provokes social mistreatment and accusations even when holders speak Ukrainian, have Ukrainian ancestry, or support Ukraine’s armed forces. Taras, born in Poltava and raised partly in Bryansk, received a Russian passport at 16, studied in St Petersburg, and later moved to Poltava after 2014. Replacing his Russian passport with a Ukrainian one required 11 years and two trials.
#russian-nationals-in-ukraine #passport-renunciation #bureaucratic-obstacles #identity-discrimination
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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