Kuleba: Ukraine waits for report from OSCE SMM regarding passportization of ORDLO residents by Russia
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has asked the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe to compile a report on the issuance of Russian passports to Ukrainian citizens living in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
"I also contacted the OSCE today, took advantage of the presence of the Chairman-in-Office and the head of the Special Monitoring Mission, and addressed them with a request that the OSCE SMM prepare a thematic report on the passportization of citizens of Ukraine by Russia in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions," Kuleba said at a joint press conference with OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau on Thursday in Kyiv.
"This is a big problem, a systemic problem, and we must pay attention to it not only in the context of the situation in Ukraine, but also in order to very clearly fix this case: what consequences does it entail for a state that resorts to such passportization steps, so that for years to come, whoever tries to repeat this Russian experience, thinks three times before resorting to such a step," the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.