OP-ED

Peter Dickinson: Putin’s passport ploy in Ukraine may pave way for Russia’s next annexation

By Peter Dickinson.

Published May 21, 2021. Updated May 21 at 3:57 am

A passenger of the train that arrived from Moscow to Kyiv, evacuating Ukrainian citizens as the country shut its borders to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, leaves the train holding a Russian passport, on March 29, 2020. While the train was only meant for Ukrainians, the government reported that some Russian citizens were allowed to board it in Moscow, too.

Photo by Oleg Petrasiuk

As Vladimir Putin’s hybrid war against Ukraine grinds into its eighth year, Russian passports are emerging as Moscow’s most effective weapon. On May 20, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised the alarm over the mass distribution of Russian passports in occupied eastern Ukraine and accused Moscow of paving the way for a possible annexation attempt.