“Since October last year, almost 1.5 million people from the new regions have received Russian passports,” Mr Mishustin said at a high-level meeting. Russian officials refer to the four territories annexed from Ukraine as “new regions”.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. Photo: Reuters
About 1.6 million people in the region are receiving pensions and about 1.5 million are receiving social benefits, Mr. Mishustin said.
The total population of the four regions before the conflict was estimated at around 8.9 million, but millions have been displaced from the region.
Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree giving people living in these regions the opportunity to become Russian citizens. Those who refuse or fail to legalize their status will be deported.
The Kiev government says it will retake all occupied territories, including Crimea, and is now planning a major counter-offensive to achieve this goal.
Trung Kien (according to Reuters)
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