(iPoster) Who Becomes a Russian Citizen Today?

• In Event: Poster Sessions: Religion and Politics & Politics of Communist and Former Communist Countries (Post-Soviet)
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Politics of Communist and Former Communist Countries (Post-Soviet)

Abstract

Citizenship has long been a tool of hard and soft power in Russia. Since 2022, it has become even more weaponized, with serious consequences for people both inside and outside of the country. Building on my recent analysis of Russia’s 2023 citizenship law, my paper asks a seemingly simple question: who becomes a Russian citizen today?

Using szrf.ru, an official publication of Russian legislation and presidential decrees, the paper answers that question both literally (as the database regularly publishes lists of individuals who acquired Russian passports and indicates their former nationality), and with a policy lens—by analyzing recent legislation, the civics and history naturalization test introduced in 2023, as well as stricter requirements around the oath of allegiance.

Borrowing from the scholarship analyzing the global trend to “renationalize” citizenship, the paper will discuss how the Kremlin is increasingly attaching “traditional values” to political membership. Two recent examples include granting simplified application procedures to people who have expressed support for the country’s “traditional spiritual and moral values,” and the 2025 publication of the “Explanatory Dictionary of the State Language of the Russian Federation.” The paper furthers our understanding of oppressive practices of citizenship in Russia. While prior studies have primarily focused on Russia’s efforts to expand its Russian World ideology abroad, including through passportization, this paper examines domestic changes, especially as they relate to naturalization.

Author

• Vanessa Julie Ruget, Salem State University