Russia Confiscates Elite Passports Amid Ukraine Conflict

Russians are increasingly seeking Kyrgyz passports as a way out of their country due to the economic fallout of the ongoing Ukraine war and the risk of being enlisted to serve in the armed forces. Private firms promote the Kyrgyz passport as a door opener to subsequently being able to travel, study, and live in Western countries. While Kyrgyzstan and Russia don’t have a dual-citizenship pact, laws in both countries allow their citizens to hold multiple nationalities. Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan's neighbor, signed a dual-citizenship agreement with Russia in the 1990s, and thousands of Tajiks have obtained Russian passports in recent years after Moscow simplified its citizenship law for people from fellow former Soviet countries.