Russia wants to issue its passports in Estonia to former citizens of the USSR. In this way, the Kremlin will try to mobilize more people for the war against Ukraine. This was stated by the Minister of the Interior of Estonia Lauri Läänemets in the ERR publication.


"In Russia, a federal law has come into force, according to which it is possible to obtain Russian citizenship on preferential terms for persons outside the state," the statement reads.


Läänemets believes that this is an attempt to mobilize the pro-Russian population by offering, among other things, Russian citizenship to former USSR citizens who do not currently have citizenship of any country.


"Russia's goal is to encourage pro-Russian residents to show more loyalty by legally linking them to the Russian Federation. On the one hand, in a situation where the Republic of Estonia has recognized Russia as a terrorist state, the adoption of Russian citizenship is a clear signal of anti-Estonian sentiment," the minister said.