Stand behind Ukrainian independent journalism when it’s needed most. Help us reach 20,000 members.

Skip to content
Edit post

Putin's new decree part of plan to forcibly Russify Ukrainians, UK intelligence says

by Natalia Yermak March 22, 2025 6:03 PM 2 min read
People arrive to receive Russian passports at a center in Russian-occupied Kherson on July 21, 2022. (Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

British intelligence has deemed the decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 20 as a new wave of "Russification policy" in illegally occupied parts of Ukraine.

The decree mandated that Ukrainian citizens "illegally" staying in Russia must obtain Russian documents of leave before Sept. 10.

"Putin's decree is almost certainly intended to force the departure from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory of Ukrainian nationals who refuse to accept Russian passport and citizenship," the British intelligence report said.

"Putin and the Russian senior leadership continue to prosecute a Russification policy in illegally occupied Ukrainian territory, as part of longstanding efforts to extirpate Ukrainian culture, identity and statehood," according to the statement.

The intelligence added that Russia "erroneously and illegally" defines both occupied and unoccupied Ukrainian territory in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia oblasts, as well as Crimea, as part of Russia.

The British intelligence statement comes after the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff openly parroted Russian propaganda about the five Ukrainian regions in an interview with American far-right political commentator Tucker Carlson.

Witkoff said that the occupied and illegally annexed Crimea and parts of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts are Russian-speaking and "indicated that they want to be under Russian rule" in referendums.

Russia illegally annexed fully occupied Crimea in 2014 and partially occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts in 2022, following sham referendums at gunpoint rejected by the international community as null and void.

It had since systemically terrorized Ukrainian civilians and committed war crimes in Ukrainian sovereign territories, de facto treating them as its own regions.

‘They are Russian-speaking, and there have been referendums,’ — Witkoff parrots Russian propaganda, legitimizing Putin’s claims in Ukraine
U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who recently emerged as a leading figure in negotiations regarding Russia and Ukraine, revealed insights into ongoing ceasefire talks between Moscow and Washington. In an interview on March 21 with American far-right talk show host Tucker Carlso…

Independent journalism needs a community —
not a paywall.

We’re working hard to show the world the truth of Russia’s brutal war — and we’re keeping it free for everyone, because reliable information should be available to all.

Our goal: reach 20,000 members to prove independent journalism can survive without paywalls, billionaires, or compromise. Will you help us do it?

Can we reach 20,000 members?

News Feed

7:04 PM

Ultimate guide on how drones changed warfare in Ukraine.

The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrel provides an ultimate guide on how drones have changed the warfare in Ukraine — starting with an embed with a drone unit of the National Guard’s 14th Chervona Kalyna Brigade and providing even more insights with a step-by-step simulation on how fighting for an average village in Ukraine looks like now, three years into Russia’s full-scale invasion.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.