In Kaluga Region, foreigners who have decided to obtain Russian citizenship refuse to accept documents, demanding first to sign a contract for military service, human rights activist Tatiana Kotlyar told the publication "7×7 — Horizontal Russia", writes Medusa.
Kotlyar said that five such cases are known, but judging by the stories of the foreigners themselves and their relatives, many more people have faced such a situation in Kaluga region. The human rights defender sent a complaint to the Commissioner for Human Rights in the region, but did not receive a response.
One of the residents of Tajikistan reported that when applying for citizenship, he was asked for a certificate from the military enlistment office on the conclusion of a contract for service in the army.
Another migrant from Tajikistan, writes "7×7", was not taken into service under a contract for health reasons. He also did not receive a certificate, and could not submit documents.
A resident of Uzbekistan also told the publication about the requirement of a certificate of conclusion of a contract with the Ministry of Defense when accepting documents for citizenship:
"I sat down there out of despair, because I have already heard about it from my compatriots in the resettlement group [chat]. I told them that this can only be signed by citizens of the Russian Federation. And while we are foreigners, they do not have the right to forcibly send us. The inspectors sent us to sign the contract. It's all in words, they don't give any explanations. Besides, they talk so rudely, as with prisoners, they often shout."
According to him, in Kaluga region, difficulties with applying for citizenship of the Russian Federation began in April.
Now all men applying for citizenship, according to him, are sent to the military enlistment office, and women are calmly receiving the documents.
At the end of September 2022, Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the simplified granting of citizenship to foreigners who have signed a contract for military service in the armed forces of the Russian Federation. According to the decree, in order to obtain citizenship in a simplified manner, a foreigner must conclude a contract for at least a year and take part in hostilities for at least six months.
In mid-August 2023, the police conducted a two-day raid in the south of St. Petersburg, after which they delivered more than 100 migrants with Russian citizenship to the military enlistment office for, as reported, military registration.
Western and independent Russian experts have repeatedly stated that the Russian authorities do not want to announce a new wave of mobilization, fearing the discontent of Russian residents, and are trying to ensure the replenishment of troops at the expense of those who have signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense.
