Putin orders Ukrainian citizens without legal status to leave Russia by September 10

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree requiring Ukrainian citizens without a legal basis to stay in Russia to either leave the country by September 10 or regulate their legal status.

“Citizens of Ukraine residing in the Russian Federation without legal grounds for stay (residency) must independently leave the Russian Federation or regulate their legal status by September 10, 2025, inclusive,” the decree reads.

The order was published on Russia’s official legal acts website on March 20.

According to the document, foreign citizens and stateless persons residing in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine—specifically in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions—must undergo medical examinations by June 10. These include tests for drug use, infectious diseases, and HIV.

The decree also references Putin’s December 30, 2024, order on “temporary measures to regulate the legal status of certain categories of foreign citizens and stateless persons in Russia in connection with the application of expulsion measures.”