Foreign children may lose Russian citizenship if parent refuses military registration

The updated draft law on revoking acquired Russian citizenship would allow authorities to strip citizenship from the children of foreigners who fail to register for military service, according to Vedomosti, citing the draft legislation.

The measure applies only to children who obtained Russian citizenship through the actions of the non-compliant parent. Children who acquire citizenship by birth or whose other parent is a Russian citizen would not be affected.

The amendments were prepared by State Duma Defence Committee Chairman Andrey Kartapolov, Security Committee Chairman Vasily Piskaryov, and other deputies. The draft specifies that a person stripped of citizenship for refusing military registration may reapply no sooner than three years later. The legislation also allows the president to shorten this period for humanitarian reasons in certain cases.

Under the new rules, new Russian citizens must register with the military commissariat within two weeks or submit an application online via Gosuslugi within one week. A special commission determines whether the obligation has been met, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs issues the final decision on citizenship revocation within 30 days.

President Vladimir Putin signed the original law on revoking citizenship for refusal to register for military service on August 8, 2024. The State Duma approved the draft on August 1, and the Federation Council endorsed it on August 2.

By Vugar Khalilov