Putin has issued two orders aimed at relaxing Russian citizenship, aiming to make more people gain citizenship.
There is a provision that applies to former Russian citizens, but then renounces citizenship. At present, such persons can apply again to become Russian citizens without going through the red tape. The bill also makes it clear that Ukrainians, foreigners, and stateless persons apply to Crimeans if they leave the country before March 18, 2014.
This day is very critical, and Crimea will also be included in Russia on this day. At that time, many people living in Crimea either returned to Ukraine or fled somewhere else, because they did not want to become Russian citizens.
None of this is the same, though. Russia has enacted a law that allows those born in Crimea to claim Russian citizenship and thus return to the Russian "family".
Another bill is made specifically for foreign servicemen serving in the Russian troops. And these people, as long as they sign an agreement with the Russian military, can become Russian citizens, and there are also some mercenaries among them.
That is, as long as a Chinese was born in Crimea until 2014, or a Chinese participated in the Russian-Ukrainian war and fought on behalf of Russia as a mercenary, then these people can obtain Russian citizenship.
However, it is important to point out that in both cases, the process of immigration is not the same. The former can enjoy the simplified formalities, while the latter must go through the formal formalities.
What is the simple process? That is, you don't need to prepare too many documents, such as proof of residence, funds**, etc., and you don't even need to take the Russian language test, you can get Russian citizenship directly through the review of the relevant institutions.
This simple process, which has actually been launched since 2019, initially targeted the Donetsk, Luhansk regions, that is, the Donbass. Russia then expanded to Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and other regions, as well as to "all Ukrainians".
Since April 2019, more than 800,000 people in Donbas have been granted Russian citizenship after a series of simple procedures, according to Russia's Interior Ministry.
So, why is Russia relaxing restrictions on naturalization? In the short term, this is a large-scale population movement, and in the long term, it is to solve the problem of labor and population shortages.
In the near term. Russia does not lack military power at the moment, but they need to expand their army significantly. In November, Putin ordered a 15 percent increase in Russia's military power, or 1.7 million people. To this end, Russia has not only rebuilt the two theaters of Moscow and Leningrad, but also included the naval theater of the Sea of Azov, so it is also in urgent need of replenishing troops.
Moreover, in the case of the escalating contradictions between Russia and Ukraine, Russia must also prepare for the worst for a big war. Not long ago, Russia raised the minimum length of service from 27 to 30 years old, in order to increase the number of tens of thousands of soldiers, thus making the establishment of the army even larger.
In the long run. One of the serious problems facing Russia today is the lack of sufficient population and labor. Akhapkin, a researcher at the Academy of Economics, recently said that Russia will have a job shortage of 4.8 million people in 2023, and the problem will worsen in 2024.
Nabiulina, president of the Bank of Russia, also said that due to Russia's investment in the military field, there is a shortage of labor, especially young people, which has had a big impact on the healthy development of certain industries.
Russia** has responded by raising maternity subsidies, easing immigration restrictions, improving health care, and postponing the retirement age. At the same time, Putin called on the Russian people to return to the great tradition of the "big family", which is his "priceless treasure".
However, it remains to be seen whether these measures will be able to completely solve the problems that Russia is currently facing. The stability and development of a nation and a society is the most fundamental requirement for absorbing foreign immigrants.