Baltic States Plan to Deprive Putin-Supporters of Citizenship

A draft bill is being prepared in Lithuania to deprive people who support the aggressor country Russia of their citizenship.

According to the Delfi site, a group of lawmakers have prepared amendments to the country’s law on citizenship. The bill provides for the possibility of depriving the passport of foreigners who received the document in an exceptional manner and who support Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Also, citizens will be able to be deprived of citizenship if their actions threaten the national security and interests of Lithuania, or if they support a state hostile to Lithuania and its allies.

The performance of figure skater Margarita Drobyazko and her husband Povilas Vanagas at the show in Sochi was a prerequisite for making the appropriate amendments. The event was organized by Tatiana Navka, wife of Dmitriy Peskov, the press secretary of President Putin. Drobyazko received Lithuanian citizenship in an exceptional manner. However, after this incident, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda deprived the couple of their citizenship and state awards.

“There are six cases of revocation of Lithuanian citizenship, but there is no one that provides for the mechanism of revocation of the citizenship of a person, a citizen of another country, who received Lithuanian citizenship as an exception, if he supports  aggressors and, therefore, poses a threat to Lithuania, the region and allies,” the explanatory note to the bill states. .

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In addition, Latvia will also revoke citizenship for supporting the Russian invasion. Image from However, this applies only to persons who have dual citizenship.

Deprivation of Latvian citizenship is provided for if a person has provided significant support (financial, material, propaganda, technological) to persons, states, etc., who have committed a crime against peace. That is, genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes that threaten the territorial integrity and independence of democracies.

Moreover, on August 11, the Latvian Parliament recognized Russia as a state of means of terrorism. Government officials have officially called on EU countries to stop issuing visas to citizens of the Russian Federation and Belarus.

In Estonia the revoking of citizenship of persons who participate in military aggression against Ukraine on the side of Russia is permitted. At the same time, citizenship cannot be revoked from persons whose military service does not threaten the security of Estonia. For example, those who went to fight on the side of Ukraine to protect its territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence.