On June 18, the parliament supported a bill with a series of changes to the issues of acquiring and maintaining Ukrainian citizenship, which, in particular, establishes the possibility of multiple citizenship.
Points of attention
- The law aims to facilitate the return of Ukrainian citizens affected by armed aggression and preserve Ukrainian citizenship for them.
- The idea of multiple citizenship has been a topic of discussion since before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
What is known about the new Council decision?
243 deputies voted for the relevant bill.
What is important to understand is that this was the fourth version of the project.
According to the deputies, before the second reading, the working group significantly improved the draft, including points on a mandatory exam for knowledge of the Constitution of Ukraine, history, and the Ukrainian language.
People's Deputy Iryna Gerashchenko noted that the draft law promises:
to ensure conditions for the return of Ukrainian citizens who were forced to leave the country due to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, and to preserve Ukrainian citizenship for such persons (although no real mechanisms are stipulated in the draft);
to expand the opportunity for certain categories of foreigners and stateless persons who are undergoing military service under a contract in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard and other military structures to acquire Ukrainian citizenship;
to establish cases of multiple citizenship (nationality);
establish the grounds for loss of Ukrainian citizenship.
As mentioned earlier, the idea of a law on multiple citizenship was discussed even before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
