More Russians seek to change nationality after war in Ukraine – media

Dozens of Russians have filed lawsuits seeking to change their officially registered nationality since the start of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, opposition media reported.

According to the reports, some applicants take this step to facilitate emigration, others to obtain benefits, or to restore their family’s historical roots.

An analysis of more than 200 court rulings showed that most plaintiffs previously identified as “Russian” but later decided to switch to another ethnicity, such as German, Jewish, Bulgarian, Greek, Latvian or Polish, which allows for potential repatriation.

A separate category includes members of small Indigenous groups such as the Shor, Chukchi, Evenki and Itelmen peoples, who often request the removal of “Russian,” “Yakut,” or “Altai” nationality from their documents.

Only three cases were found in which applicants asked to change their nationality to “Russian,” the reports said.