Key facts
- Raids conducted by Russian police and FSB during the first 10 days of October.
- Operation dubbed "Illegal-2026" targets residents refusing Russian passports.
- Consequences for non-passport holders include expulsion, job loss, and property seizure.
- Parents of minors without Russian passports face threats of fines and imprisonment.
Russian security forces conducted a new round of raids across occupied Ukrainian territories in early October, targeting residents who have refused to obtain Russian passports, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on Oct. 22. The raids, conducted jointly by Russian police and the Federal Security Service (FSB) during the first 10 days of October, were part of an operation dubbed "Illegal-2026."
HUR stated that Ukrainians without Russian passports are classified as "foreign citizens" and are subject to Russian migration law. Residents can face pressure to obtain Russian citizenship, expulsion from occupied territory, dismissal from work, and property seizure. In occupied Luhansk Oblast, Russian authorities have also checked documents of minors, with parents allegedly threatened with fines, imprisonment, and the loss of parental rights if their children do not obtain Russian passports. HUR described the operation as another tool in Russia's broader effort to pressure Ukrainians into accepting Russian citizenship and push those who refuse out of occupied territory. Russia has pressured residents of occupied Ukrainian territories to take Russian passports since 2014, tying access to employment, social services, property rights, and other aspects of daily life to possession of Russian documents. Earlier phases of the "Illegal-2026" operation have been carried out, with occupation officials reporting in June that more than 300 administrative cases had been opened and more than 40 people expelled during a 10-day phase.