Demand for Russian Citizenship Decreases Among Foreigners, Reports Russian Interior Ministry

During the first two months of the current year, the number of individuals obtaining Russian citizenship has decreased by 15,000 compared to the same period last year, according to data from the Russian Interior Ministry, as reported by Moscow Komsomolets.

In January and February 2022, 84,817 people received Russian citizenship, down from 99,873 a year earlier. Notably, the figures for 2021 exceeded those of 2020 by 79,000.

Russian citizenship has been most common among citizens of Ukraine, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Armenia.

At the same time, the number of compatriots living abroad and their families who have benefited from the state program for voluntary resettlement in Russia has increased. In the first two months of this year, their number reached 9,293, compared to 8,616 last year.

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, previously expressed support for simplifying the resettlement program procedure in Russia for citizens arriving from Donbas and Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine, according to TASS.