Russia Announces Finalization of Passport Distribution in Occupied Areas of Ukraine.

Approximately 3.5 million passports are said to have been distributed in regions captured amid the ongoing conflict.

Russia has announced that it has finished its passport issuance program for Ukrainians living in areas occupied by its military, a decision that has faced severe censure from Ukraine and numerous international organizations.

Officials revealed on Wednesday that this initiative, regarded as an unlawful attempt to obliterate Ukrainian identity in the affected regions, has come to an end.

Since launching a large-scale military offensive against Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has urged residents of the southern and eastern regions of the country to acquire Russian citizenship.

Those who choose not to accept this citizenship reportedly encounter substantial restrictions on movement and difficulties accessing vital public services, such as healthcare and education, controlled by authorities loyal to Moscow.

Under these regulations, individuals without a Russian passport are classified as foreign nationals.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a meeting with the interior ministry, indicated that the process of granting citizenship to residents in the so-called 'liberated areas' of the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics, along with the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, had nearly concluded last year.

Russia claims it annexed these regions in 2022, though its authority in some locations remains disputed.

Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev announced that approximately 3.5 million Russian passports have been distributed to residents of these regions since the initiative began.

Before the conflict intensified, the Russian government had already been providing a pathway to citizenship for individuals in parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions controlled by Moscow-aligned separatists.

Kyiv has denounced the passport issuance process as a breach of Ukrainian sovereignty and has received backing from Western countries and human rights groups, who see the actions as a violation of international law.

The European Union has explicitly stated that it does not recognize these Russian-issued passports as valid travel documents.