Russia Paves Way for Deportations from Annexed Ukrainian Regions

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during а meeting of the Council of Legislators under Russia's Federal Assembly in Saint Petersburg, Russia April 28, 2023. (Sputnik/Alexei Danichev/Pool via Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during а meeting of the Council of Legislators under Russia's Federal Assembly in Saint Petersburg, Russia April 28, 2023. (Sputnik/Alexei Danichev/Pool via Reuters)
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Russia Paves Way for Deportations from Annexed Ukrainian Regions

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during а meeting of the Council of Legislators under Russia's Federal Assembly in Saint Petersburg, Russia April 28, 2023. (Sputnik/Alexei Danichev/Pool via Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during а meeting of the Council of Legislators under Russia's Federal Assembly in Saint Petersburg, Russia April 28, 2023. (Sputnik/Alexei Danichev/Pool via Reuters)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that gives people living in parts of Ukraine under Moscow's control a path to Russian citizenship, but means those who decline or who do not legalize their status could be deported.

The decree, which was reported by Russian news agencies on Friday, covers four Ukrainian regions that Russia has unilaterally claimed as its own and partially controls: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

Kyiv says it will retake all four areas and has accused Moscow of trying to browbeat its citizens into accepting Russian citizenship.

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar this week accused Russia of trying to change what she called "the ethnic make-up" of occupied territory by bringing in settlers from remote parts of Russia while deporting people suspected of being pro-Ukrainian.

The decree sets out ways that Ukrainian citizens or those holding passports issued by Russia-backed breakaway republics, and who live in the four regions, can start the process of becoming Russian citizens or legalize their status with the Russian authorities.

But it also says that anyone who does not take such action by July 1, 2024, will be regarded as a foreign citizen, something that will leave them at risk of being deported from territory that Moscow considers part of Russia.

The decree also allows the deportation of people from the four regions who are deemed a threat to national security or take part in unauthorized meetings.

Specifically, the decree singles out for potential deportation people who favor "the violent change" of Russia's constitutional order or who finance or plan terrorist attacks.



6 Presumed Dead after Private Plane Crashes in Upstate New York

A New York Police Department scuba team looks for debris, Friday, April 11, 2025, where a sightseeing helicopter crashed a day earlier into the Hudson River in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
A New York Police Department scuba team looks for debris, Friday, April 11, 2025, where a sightseeing helicopter crashed a day earlier into the Hudson River in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
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6 Presumed Dead after Private Plane Crashes in Upstate New York

A New York Police Department scuba team looks for debris, Friday, April 11, 2025, where a sightseeing helicopter crashed a day earlier into the Hudson River in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
A New York Police Department scuba team looks for debris, Friday, April 11, 2025, where a sightseeing helicopter crashed a day earlier into the Hudson River in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A twin-engine plane that crashed into a muddy field in upstate New York has left all six passengers aboard presumed dead.
The plane, a Mitsubishi MU-2B, was reported down at noon on Saturday in Copake, New York, around 30 miles (48 kilometers) from its destination at the Columbia County Airport, The Associated Press reported.
All six people who were aboard the plane were presumed dead, according to an official familiar with the crash, who could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
Columbia County Undersheriff Jacqueline Salvatore on Saturday confirmed the crash was fatal but declined to reveal how many people died.
“It’s in the middle of a field and it’s pretty muddy, so accessibility is difficult,” Salvatore said during a news conference near the scene, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Albany.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it had deployed an investigation team. They were expected to provide additional details about the investigation Sunday afternoon.