Two brothers stripped of Russian citizenship for evading military registration

In Russia's Chelyabinsk region, two brothers "from a neighboring country" were stripped of their Russian citizenship for evading military registration, reports the press service of the Russian Internal Affairs Ministry’s Main Directorate for the region.

The department also noted that when applying for Russian citizenship, “the young men provided deliberately false information to avoid military duty.” They are required to leave the country, or they will face deportation.

Elena Dovbenko, the head of the migration department at the Russian Internal Affairs Ministry’s Chelyabinsk Main Directorate, said this decision had set a precedent.

Amendments to the law “On citizenship of the Russian Federation,” effective from October, enable authorities to strip citizenship for crimes outlined in approximately 60 articles of Russia’s Criminal Code. These primarily include serious offenses, but also extend to convictions under political articles, such as for “spreading fakes” and “discrediting the army.”