Estonia to deport its stateless residents who obtain Russian citizenship

The Polish TVP World news agency has reported on the Estonian interior ministry's latest ruling regarding its stateless people, the majority of which are ethnic Russians which have continued residing in the Baltic state after the fall of the Soviet Union. According to the new law, Estonia will cancel residency permits and deport any residents who obtain Russian citizenship, in light of a new law adopted by Moscow to facilitate this process. Caliber.Az reprints this article.

"Interior Minister of Estonia Lauri Läänemets (SDE) issued a warning to stateless people on Thursday, stating that their Estonian residency permit would not be renewed and they would be deported if they adopted Russian citizenship as part of a Russian campaign.

Last week, Russia adopted a law aimed at granting Russian citizenship on favorable terms to people residing abroad. The Estonian politician assessed this as an attempt to mobilize the pro-Russian minority in neighboring countries by offering Russian citizenship, including to stateless individuals from the former Soviet Union.

'Basically, this concerns people in Estonia who are holders of gray passports who do not have citizenship—Russia is offering them citizenship on preferential terms', he said.

A 'gray passport' is a travel document issued by Estonian authorities to resident non-citizens of the country who are stateless, mostly ethnic Russians who settled or are descendents of settlers who came to Estonia when it was occupied by the Soviet Union and did not acquire Estonian citizenship after the country gained independence. Approximately 80,000 stateless people still live in Estonia.

'This is yet another exercise in influence, aimed at creating instability not only in the Baltic States but in all parts of the former Soviet Union. Our answer here is very simple and unambiguous: We are working to ensure that if someone is going to take up this citizenship, they must understand that we have sanctioned the grounds on which Russian citizens can stay in Estonia today and the possibility of coming to live in Estonia permanently or temporarily. In other words, if they have a residence permit in Estonia today as a holder of a gray passport, if they renounce their gray passport status, if they take Russian citizenship—the citizenship of the aggressor state today—then by that logic they will be sanctioned, and their residence permit is likely to be revoked sooner or later, one way or another', Läänemets said.

'Estonia is certainly not going to allow any increase in the number of Russian citizens. And that is just today’s logic – if citizenship is taken, it is hard to believe that they would be loyal to Estonia. So, my recommendation is that if anybody dares to think about it, even for some pragmatic reason, then I will personally work to have such a person's residence permit revoked and them expelled from Estonia', he emphasized.

Estonia banned Russian citizens from crossing its borders soon after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Minister of the Interior expressed the opinion that the Russian campaign is unlikely to be very successful among the residents of Estonia because Russia’s extensive aggression against Ukraine in 2022 has significantly increased the interest of Russians living in Estonia in obtaining Estonian citizenship.

'In 2021, 291 Russian citizens applied for Estonian citizenship, while in 2022, that number increased to 726', the politician pointed out.

Russia’s game

Läänemets explained that Russia’s objective is to encourage greater loyalty among pro-Russian residents in neighboring countries, legally connecting them to the Russian Federation through citizenship.

He emphasized that, on the one hand, in a situation where Estonia has designated Russia as a terrorist state, acquiring Russian citizenship is a clear sign of an anti-Estonian approach. On the other hand, individuals considering this option should understand that obtaining Russian citizenship comes with significant and legally binding consequences.

He added, 'By acquiring Russian citizenship, such a person would have, for example, an obligation to join the war on Ukraine on Russia’s behalf in the event of mobilization. Fighting alongside Russian occupying forces in Ukraine is a criminal offense in Estonia, which is also worth remembering' ".