Ukraine's ombudsman advises residents of temporarily occupied territories to take Russian passports

He said this during the telethon.

According to Lubinets, the recent decree by Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the deportation of Ukrainians without Russian citizenship from the temporarily occupied territories has the objective of legitimizing forced passporting and terminating the ongoing process. Lubinets believes that Ukrainian citizens who refuse Russian passports will face arrest, effectively becoming a distinct category of civilian hostages held by Russia either on its own territory or in the temporarily occupied part of Ukraine.

"I would advise you to accept a Russian passport, after all, as a means of survival. This is the most important thing. We understand that this happens under physical pressure. Therefore, accept it, survive, and wait until we liberate the territory. Now the corresponding law is being developed that would officially allow individuals to renounce this passport and return to normal life. Or make a decision for yourself and leave this territory through any available means, but just leave. We understand that it is now a matter of survival within the territory," he noted.

The ombudsman emphasized that the Russian Federation is committing a war crime, but Ukraine does not consider Russian citizenship as a factor in determining the commission of the crime by Ukrainians. Lubinets also expressed his opposition to exerting influence on the residents of the temporarily occupied territories who have accepted Russian citizenship, as their primary motivation is survival.

• On April 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that includes the recognition of residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine as foreigners if they refuse to acquire Russian citizenship.

• On April 28, Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the President's Office, referred to the decree as "another manifestation of the genocidal nature of the war."