It is hard to judge this information unequivocally—whether it is a blessing or a tragedy—but judging by an appeal from Andrey, an ethnic Russian and a citizen of Kyrgyzstan, there is allegedly no longer any way to obtain Russian citizenship except through service in the war (officially referred to by the Russian authorities as the “Special Military Operation”) for men aged 18 to 65. No matter what he does, he says he receives a formal refusal, including on such absurd grounds as language proficiency requirements for children who do not even speak other languages and were raised entirely in Russian in Russia.
So let’s think: is this a blessing or not? Because today, if you want to become a citizen of Russia, you seemingly have a choice—to serve or not to serve in this vile and abhorrent war. But if you do become a Russian citizen, will you still have the same choice tomorrow?

“Only ages 18 to 65—everything goes through the SMO,” Andrey says, describing his attempts to obtain a residence permit and Russian citizenship. He claims the standard procedure effectively does not work, leaving people with one “real” route: signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense and being sent to the front.

According to Andrey, he moved to Russia on June 21, 2025, together with his two underage children, expecting to legalize his status through the regular process. However, he says that his applications to migration offices in Serpukhov and Podolsk ended either in prolonged delays or refusals on formal grounds.

“A new decree came out: everything goes through the SMO,” Andrey says, stressing that he is describing not a written demand but the practice he encountered.

Formal grounds and an endless chain of “additional requirements”

Andrey alleges that officials repeatedly introduced new conditions, turning the process into a closed loop. Among the examples he cites:

• demands to renew documents, including birth certificates;
• refusal to accept a medical examination: he says a check-up completed in Sakharovo was not accepted and he was told to repeat it in Podolsk;
• lengthy verification procedures and waiting periods stretching for months;
• repeated refusals that he considers contrived.

Refusals for the children and a school problem

Andrey also highlights issues affecting his children. He claims that despite the fact that they studied in a Russian school, grew up in a Russian-speaking environment, and do not speak other languages, they were denied a residence permit on the grounds of an:

• “insufficient level of Russian language proficiency.”

He also alleges that the children were turned away five times from enrollment in a public school, causing them to miss an academic year.

Andrey’s conclusion

He claims that obtaining citizenship through the “ordinary route” has become virtually impossible, and that the only remaining option in practice is a military contract followed by deployment to the war zone.

The story he tells leads to one question: if a passport is offered today as a reward for participation in war, will the right to choose remain tomorrow—after citizenship is granted?

Source: the Telegram channel “DON’T EXPECT GOOD NEWS”.