The Russian invasion of Ukraine after February 24, 2022, has a distinct biopolitical dimension. Its aim is to achieve total control over the population of the occupied territories through denationalization, forced assimilation, and the elimination of groups deemed undesirable. Consequently, deportations of children from occupied areas are being carried out, along with the issuance of passports under the threat of losing access to healthcare, humanitarian aid, and social benefits, as well as acts of terror against pro-Ukrainian activists, including imprisonment and torture. The decree issued by Vladimir Putin on March 20, 2025, intensified these actions by mandating the compulsory registration of Ukrainians in Russia and in the occupied areas, while prohibiting citizens of Ukraine with criminal backgrounds, those infected with HIV, or drug addicts from residing there.
The Biopolitical Dimension of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
With the onset of the full-scale aggression against Ukraine, the Federal Security Service (FSB) prepared materials suggesting that at least half of the Ukrainian population would have a favorable view of the occupying forces. One of the key factors that allegedly could substantiate this scenario was the significant proportion of the population belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that remained in canonical communion with the Moscow Patriarchate. A lack of trust in the authorities, difficult living conditions, and pervasive corruption could, in the opinion of Russian intelligence, facilitate the establishment of a military administration. Despite the war’s reality diverging from these assumptions, it did not lead the Russian Federation to modify its plans, and at least partially, the strategies developed by the FSB were implemented in Ukraine[1].
Their key goal was the complete denationalization of the areas controlled by the Russian Federation. To this end, a large-scale operation was initiated to deport Ukrainian orphans from the occupied territories[2] and to Russify Ukrainian culture, education, and public institutions. Inhabitants of the occupied areas were pressured to accept Russian citizenship, with threats of deportation issued to those who resisted, alongside the denial of humanitarian aid, medical care, and social benefits. Concurrently, any manifestations of pro-Ukrainian sentiments were ruthlessly eliminated. Local Ukrainian activists were imprisoned, tortured, and sent to labor camps, with some disappearing without a trace („IEŚ” Commentaries, nr 984).
Additionally, the occupied areas are continually being colonized by Russians and migrants from Central Asia, who are employed in construction work. Incentives for settling in these regions include affordable housing, attractive mortgage rates (2% annually), and numerous job offers. Russians are being deployed to hospitals, schools, and public institutions, enticed by favorable salaries and working conditions. Russia is strengthening its control over the information sphere by restricting access to platforms like Facebook, Gmail, and YouTube. At the same time, the residents of the occupied territories are indoctrinated with pervasive state propaganda.
Legal Status of Ukrainians in the Occupied Territories and the Russian Federation
From the outset of the Russian aggression in 2014, the legal status of Ukrainian citizens residing in the occupied territories and within the Russian Federation has been of paramount importance. Even prior to the annexation of Crimea, Russian authorities were conducting the passportization of the local Russian-speaking population on the peninsula; however, in 2014, this process took on a coercive form. The Russian aggression coincided with changes in migration law, which, effective January 1, 2014, imposed a requirement for citizens of non-member states of the Customs Union established on January 1, 2010 (and subsequently the Eurasian Economic Union from January 1, 2015) to obtain a work permit or patent. Nonetheless, in March 2015, Vladimir Putin suspended these regulations “for humanitarian reasons” until November 30, 2015, thereby allowing individuals time to regularize their status, including applying for Russian citizenship.
A simplified procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship could be applied to individuals covered by the program for the return of foreign “compatriots” established on June 22, 2006. Between 2011 and 2015, approximately 410,000 individuals, predominantly Ukrainian citizens, took advantage of this option. Additionally, a presidential decree issued on April 24, 2019, established a streamlined process for residents of the self-proclaimed republics in Donbas to obtain Russian citizenship. On May 25, 2022, these regulations were extended to the residents of the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, and the decree of July 11, 2022, encompassed all residents of Ukraine under this procedure. Additionally, the provisions established on April 24, 2020, allowed all Ukrainian citizens residing in Russia to apply for a temporary residence permit (РВП, valid for up to 3 years) without stating a reason and outside the state-imposed quota for such permits. Meanwhile, the regulations enacted on July 14, 2022, further permitted Ukrainian citizens who registered their arrival in Russia to apply not only for a temporary residence permit but also for a permanent residence permit (ВНЖ). Both permits exempted holders from the requirement to purchase patents and allowed for legal residence and employment.
The naturalization of Ukrainian citizens was intended to be one of the strategies for addressing the demographic challenges faced by the Russian Federation while simultaneously facilitating the Russification of Ukraine. According to official statistics from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, from 2010 to July 2023, a total of 2,815,627 Ukrainian citizens acquired Russian citizenship („IEŚ” Commentaries, nr 938). On March 5, 2025, Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev announced that the authorities of the Russian Federation had issued 3.5 million passports to “residents of Donbas and Novorossiya.[3]” Some individuals refrained from accepting Russian citizenship due to fears of being conscripted into the Russian army.
Decree of Vladimir Putin, March 20, 2025: Legal Framework and Implications
The provisions exempting Ukrainian citizens from obtaining residence and work permits—previously aligned with regulations applicable to non-members of the Eurasian Economic Union—were inherently temporary in nature. Nevertheless, a significant cohort of individuals in Russia has failed to regularize their legal status despite these facilitations. In practice, Ukrainian nationals lacking formal authorization could remain within Russian territory if they obtained a “green card”[4].
Pursuant to Vladimir Putin’s decree of March 20, 2025, all Ukrainian citizens who have not yet formalized their status are required to undergo mandatory registration with territorial branches of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The following individuals were ineligible to complete the registration procedure:
Ukrainian nationals who fail to register by September 10, 2025, will face deportation.
Differential Regulations for Residents of Occupied Ukrainian Oblasts
Residents of the four partially occupied oblasts of Ukraine are subject to a modified regulatory framework:
Enhanced Restrictions on Undocumented persons (Effective February 5, 2025)
Individuals residing illegally within the Russian Federation (including territories annexed by Russia) will be entered into a state law enforcement registry pending deportation. Consequently, they are required to obtain approval from internal security authorities for any change of residence. Furthermore, they are subject to the following prohibitions:
Repeated violations may result in:
Ukraine’s Official Response
On March 21, 2025, Heorhij Tychyj, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denounced the decree during a press briefing in Kyiv, characterizing it as “legally null and void.” He asserted that the measure constitutes a continuation of discrimination, persecution, and forced expulsion of Ukrainian citizens from their homeland, emphasizing Russia’s systemic violations of international law. Tychyj further stated that “deportations and forced resettlements are integral to Russia’s genocidal policy against the Ukrainian people.”
Violations of International Law
According to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, Putin’s decree contravenes at least three key international legal instruments:
Conclusions and Recommendations
The Russian Federation’s actions are designed to permanently consolidate control over occupied Ukrainian territories. The timing of the decree—amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations—serves as a deliberate signal to Ukraine, the United States, and the European Union regarding Moscow’s uncompromising stance on territories it has constitutionally annexed.
The Trump administration’s apparent acquiescence to Russian narratives was underscored in a March 22, 2025 interview between Steve Witkoff, a presidential advisor, and former Fox News journalist Tucker Carlson. Witkoff asserted that an overwhelming majority of Russian-speaking residents in the four occupied oblasts confirmed their desire to join Russia through referendums.
Moscow is implementing a social engineering strategy aimed at eliminating elements deemed hostile to Russian governance. This includes the removal of individuals classified as undesirable on:
Such measures evoke historical parallels to Stalinist repression and Nazi occupation policies in Ukraine.
Ukraine must intensify diplomatic and legal efforts—including U.S.-mediated negotiations—to shield its citizens from Russia’s coercive policies. Failure to do so risks long-term socio-cultural erosion in occupied territories, complicating future reintegration beyond mere political challenges. The international community’s response—or lack thereof—will be pivotal in determining whether Russia faces meaningful consequences for these violations.
[1] Based on this data, the British Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) conducted an analysis: Ukraine Through Russia’s Eyes, https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/ukraine-through-russias-eyes (24.03.2025).
[2] According to the National Information Bureau operating under Ukraine’s Ministry of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories, 19,500 children had been forcibly deported as of March 2024. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/agenda/briefing/2024-03-11/12/ukrainian-children-deported-to-russia-plenary-debaten (24.03.2025).
[3] Обладателями новых паспортов РФ стали 3,5 млн жителей Донбасса и Новороссии, Интерфакс, 5.03.2025.
[4] The term “Green Card” (Russian: Зеленая карта) colloquially refers to an official document certifying that a migrant has completed mandatory fingerprint registration and required medical examinations. In the Russian Federation, possession of this document has been compulsory for all migrants since 29 December 2021. See Федеральный закон № 274, 01.07.2021.
[Photo Vyacheslav Prokofyev / Kremlin Poo / Zuma Press / Forum]
Andrzej Szabaciuk
IEŚ Commentaries 1323 (63/2025)
Decree of Vladimir Putin on Regulating the Status of Ukrainian Citizens in the Russian Federation dated March 20, 2025