Russia targets immigrant communities with new citizenship law

Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has tightened its actions against immigrant communities. The latest example is a bill that stripped citizenship to avoid military service.

According to British intelligence services, on 31 July, the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian Parliament, approved a bill that strips citizenship from naturalised citizens if they do not register for military service.

The co-author of the bill is the Speaker of the Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, which, according to the British Ministry of Defence, indicates that it has the approval of the Kremlin.

It is assessed that the law's practical consequences for recruitment into the Russian armed forces are likely to be limited. However, independent Russian media continue to report on security agencies' harassment of immigrant communities to, among other things, increase recruitment, and this law will provide another means of pressure in this matter.

"This law should also be seen in the context of intensified anti-immigrant sentiments fuelled by some members of the Russian government, particularly targeting people of Central Asian origin. These sentiments and rhetoric have significantly strengthened since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, likely as part of attempts to establish additional government legitimacy in the face of high casualties and decreasing living standards," it was written.