Putin Orders Ukrainians 'Without Legal Status' to Leave Russia, Occupied Territories by Sept. 10

Ukrainian citizens residing in Russia and Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine must leave by Sept. 10 or "regulate their legal status," according to an official decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and published on March 20.

"Citizens of Ukraine who are in the Russian Federation and do not have legal grounds for staying (residing) in the Russian Federation are required to leave the Russian Federation on their own or regulate their legal status in the Russian Federation by Sept. 10, 2025," the decree reads.

Russia illegally declared annexation of fully occupied Crimea in 2014 and partially occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia in 2022, de facto treating Ukrainian sovereign territory as its own regions.

The decree comes amid Moscow's efforts to Russify the conquered territories by pressuring Ukrainian citizens into accepting Russian passports or forcing them out while trying to attract Russian citizens to move in.

The document says the order will not concern Ukrainian citizens who will register their status with the Russian Interior Ministry by Sept. 10.

The decree further ordered all "foreign citizens and stateless persons" residing in the occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts to undergo medical checks on drug use and infectious diseases by June 10.

As Russia continues to hold roughly one-fifth of Ukraine's territory, the fate of the occupied regions is likely to be a key topic in expected peace negotiations pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said territorial matters would be one of the most difficult aspects of the negotiations while rejecting the possibility of recognizing Russian rule over its territories.

Multiple reports of abuse, torture, and repression have emerged from Russian-held territories of Ukraine since 2014, with the cases only escalating after the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022.