Russian-installed occupation authorities of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast in southeastern Ukraine have threatened to stop providing medical care to Ukrainian citizens from 2024 if Ukrainians do not have a Russian passport, BBC Russian Service reported.
The Russian-appointed head of the occupation administration of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Yevgeny Balitsky, issued a statement calling on Ukrainians living in the occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast to apply for Russian passports.
“So far, we are in no hurry for the new year. After the new year, we will take more stringent measures to ensure that only citizens of the Russian Federation will live on our territory. If a person still receives medical care with a Ukrainian passport before the new year, he or she will not receive it afterward,” Balitsky said.
The Russian authorities claim that about 83% of the residents of the Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine have applied for Russian passports. However, this data cannot be confirmed.
The Ukrainian authorities say that residents of the occupied territories of Ukraine can take Russian passports to avoid danger to their lives.
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