In the Russian-occupied areas of Kherson and Zaporozhye regions of Ukraine launched an accelerated procedure for issuing Russian passports, writes DW.

As Russian Deputy Prime Minister

Marat Khusnulin

said today , the extradition began the day before.

According to him, more than 50 people applied for passports.

Before the Russian invasion, more than 1 million people lived in the Kherson region, in Zaporozhye - more than 1.6 million people.

The day before, Interfax reported on the opening of the first branch of the Russian Federal Migration Service (FMS) in Melitopol, Zaporizhia.

The "simplified procedure" for issuing Russian passports does not mean renouncing Ukrainian citizenship, the Russian-appointed city administration told Interfax.

Distribution of Russian passports in the occupied territories

Vladimir Rogov

, a member of the "main council of the military-civil administration" of the Zaporozhye region

, appointed by the Russian authorities, said earlier that the region "will take a course to become part of Russia."

"There can be only one future in the Zaporozhye region - it must be part of Russia, it must become a full-fledged subject of the Russian Federation," Rogov said.

Kirill Stramavusov,

Russia's "deputy head of the military-civil administration" of the Kherson region , also spoke about it.

On May 25, Russian President

Vladimir Putin

signed a decree on simplified admission of residents of Zaporozhye and Kherson regions to Russian citizenship.

At the same time, announcing the invasion of Ukraine, Putin said that the Kremlin's plans "do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories."