Putin Signs Decree Fast-Tracking Russian Citizenship for Transnistria Residents

On May 15, Vladimir Putin signed a decree simplifying Russian citizenship for Transnistria residents: foreign nationals and stateless persons aged 18+ permanently residing in the region can apply through Russian diplomatic missions without the usual 5-year residency requirement, Russian-language proficiency test, or history/civics exam. Fewer than 40% of Transnistria's roughly 220,000 residents held Russian citizenship beforehand, leaving significant room for expansion. President Maia Sandu warned the following day that the decree could serve as a recruitment tool for Russia's war against Ukraine, framing it within a wider pattern of "passportisation" Moscow has used in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and occupied Ukrainian territory.