Some 300,000 Ukrainians have received a Russian passport since the beginning of the war Moscow is waging against the neighbouring country, according to independent Russian media outlet Mediazona.
Some 70,000 to 80,000 people were given Russian citizenship in October alone, the outlet, which is considered critical of the Kremlin, reported Thursday, citing data from the Interior Ministry in Moscow.
Most applicants received their new Russian passports in the southern Russian region of Rostov-on-Don and on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
The wave of applications is due to the fact that citizens are stripped of basic rights without a Russian passport in the territories occupied by Moscow's forces, according to Mediazona.
"They often don't receive medical aid or social support without a [Russian] passport," the report said, citing the example of a family that was brought to Crimea. Their child reportedly fell ill and in order to get help the family needed a Russian passport, according to a volunteer.
Millions of people were forced to flee amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began at the end of February. Some 8 million Ukrainians have fled to other European countries, according to the UN.
At the same time, according to official Russian estimates, some 4.5 million Ukrainian refugees have entered the country so far.
