The Russian occupation authorities in southern Ukraine say they have started handing out Russian passports to locals in two cities – Kherson and Melitopol.
Ukraine condemns the creation of Russian citizens on its territory as “Russification”. President Vladimir Putin is fast-tracking the procedure.
Russia’s Tass news agency says the first 23 Kherson residents got Russian passports at a ceremony on Saturday.
Tass says thousands have applied for them, but its claim cannot be verified.
The Russian-appointed military governor in Kherson, Volodymyr Saldo, said “all our Khersonite comrades want to receive the passport and [Russian] citizenship as soon as possible”.
Ukraine denounced the move as a “flagrant violation” of its territorial integrity, saying President Putin’s decree was “legally void”.
