From: avg@rodan.UU.NET (Vadim Antonov)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet,talk.politics.soviet
Subject: Re: Citizenship laws in Russian Federation.
Date: 28 Sep 1992 22:46:19 -0400
Organization: Berkeley Software Design
NNTP-Posting-Host: rodan.uu.net

In article <1992Sep28.081049.3155@jyu.fi> ryyti@jyu.fi (Jarmo Ryyti) writes:
>1. Does Russian Citizenship law allows dual citizenship?

Currently Russia recognizes as citizens everybody who was born
or was a permanent resident (it's easy because the Soviet regime required
registration of all residents at their place of living) or children
of Russian citizens. There is NO such things as denying dual
citizenship for any reasons (btw, one of my friends had a dual
citizenship (Russian and Cuban) even when commies were in power).

>2. How long time a citizen of a foreign country should stay
>in Russian Federation before he/she can apply citizenship?

There is no such thing as a waiting period. A person can be granted
or denied citizenship immediately (after processing of papers,
of course).

>3. Do a descendant of foreign citizens become autamatically 
>Russian citizen??

If (s)he was born of a Russian soil and explicitly asked for
citizenship -- yes.

>-if the other parent is not a russian citizen how the citizenship
>is given then, does it follow mathriarchal line or pathriarchal
>line or is it demanded that both parents are russian citizens

Any parent is quite enough.

>4. Can illegal immigrant stay in Russia and apply for citizenship?

As a rule, yes; though the illegal immigration is a crime and
can lead to inprisonment -- it depends on particual situation.

>5. Can a foreigner OWN land in Russia?

Yes; thoguh the current state of land-possession regulations is
best described as chaos.

>6. Can a non-russian speaker demand  that the authorities serve her/him
>in her/his own language?

He can ask for a translator in court, it's the legal practice from
early Soviet times; sure nobody's going to call translator in a
goverment store or a government bank.

>7. Which are/which is the official language of Russian Federation?

The official language of military, transportation and central
broadcasting is Russian. In the areas without significant national
minorities it is the only language of legal documentation as well.
In ares where ethnic minorities live the legal documentation is
bilingual (say, if i'd get my passport in my native city it would
contain pages with Russian, Kabardin and Balkar text). The local
broadcasting always has full or part-time channel in local language.
Local schools teach Russian and local language(s). The selection
of language of the general courses is mostly optional (it was always
impaired by the shortage of teaching staff and schools had (and have) to
use what they can).

>-for instance which language is used in the army

Russian. Anybody who completed a high school is supposed to know
enough Russian to be able to perform army duties. Army does not
recruit mentally underdeveloped or undereducated persons.

>-are there army units for the non-russian speakers

Not. Basically army officials tend to keep mixed ethnic
army units to prevent ethnic-based brutality by avoiding forming
large groups of nationals in a single unit.

>-are the laws translated into the minority languages and in which scale

Completely and available in any public library.

>-in which scale there is for the non-russian speakers  existing
>education and other services and institututions in theory and praxis-
>along the laws and in practise given economical means...

The same as for native Russians plus their language and literature
as optional courses.  The courses in culture and history of local
ethnic groups are mandatory in schools for everybody (including Russians).

>8. Why the russian passports name the ethnic orgin of the passport holder?

Ask Josef Stalin. This field is eliminated or not required to be
filled in all legal papers in Russia (there is a lot of old paper
nobody's going to replace until stocks last; just don't fill it and
they are prohibited to require it filled). My passport still says
i'm a citizen of USSR.

--vadim
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet