Russian lawmakers expand grounds for revoking naturalized citizenship

The Russian State Duma has approved the third and final reading of a law that expands the list of grounds for revoking Russian citizenship acquired through naturalization, Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin announced on Thursday.

Previously, the law allowed for the revocation of naturalized citizenship based on 64 articles of the Criminal Code. The new legislation adds 17 more offenses to that list, including:

• Murder;
• Indecent acts involving a person between the ages of 12 and 14;
• Rape committed by a group of individuals;
• Public calls to engage in activities that threaten state security;
• Public calls for terrorism, or the justification or promotion of terrorism;
• Aiding an enemy in actions knowingly aimed at undermining Russia’s security;
• Assisting in the enforcement of decisions by international organizations in which Russia is not a participant, or by foreign government bodies

Volodin noted that the law will not apply to Russian citizens living in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk “people’s republics,” the occupied parts of Ukraine’s Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, or Crimea.

“This law is aimed at strengthening our national security and creating an effective mechanism to strip acquired citizenship from those who do not obey Russia’s laws,” Volodin said.