Authors

Discussion

During the Russia-Ukraine war, citizenship is used as an instrument to both consolidate and undermine the borders between the two nations. Whereas Ukraine is excluding Russian citizens from its public spheres of influence and expelling them from its territory, Russia is actively (and forcefully) including Ukrainian citizens into its ‘national body’ by hastily pushing them to become Russian nationals.

Ukrainian citizens from the territories of active combat have been largely prevented by the Russian armed forces from evacuating to Ukraine and given the sole passage to the Russian-occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk region and Crimea. Russia is actively ‘unmaking’ the Ukrainian citizenship of the displaced and ‘making’ them Russian citizens. For instance, it simplified the legal provisions to facilitate the quick incorporation of the displaced into Russian citizenship as well as simplified citizenship procedure for the orphans from Ukraine to enable adoption. The Kremlin also promised increased financial support and social benefits to all displaced from Ukraine who take Russian citizenship. Since 2023, Ukrainian nationals are expected to renounce their Ukrainian citizenship in written form before receiving the Russian passport and swearing an oath of loyalty to Russia. 

However, the instrumentalization of citizenship is a double-edged instrument during the Russia-Ukraine war. Intentional blurriness of borders between the two nations – illustrated by supposedly instant ‘making’ of new Russian citizens – is challenged by international non-recognition of its ‘new citizens’ as Russian nationals. Instrumentalization of citizenship also helps to consolidates the political subjectivity of Ukrainians, who point out to forced passportization as yet another proof of planned and systematic nature of the Russian war crimes.