Russia’s Interior Ministry published new data on oversight in the areas of migration and citizenship.
According to information published by the Interior Ministry on September 7, 2026, more than 1,000 decisions were made during the first seven months of the year to forcibly terminate acquired Russian citizenship.
In addition, the number of rejected applications for Russian citizenship increased by 10% compared with the same period in 2025.
Irina Volk, the official representative of Russia’s Interior Ministry, said the ministry continued working to identify people who did not meet the requirements established by law for obtaining Russian citizenship.
Final convictions for crimes accounted for 72% of cases
The Interior Ministry also disclosed the main grounds for forcibly terminating acquired citizenship.
In 72% of cases, the decision was made because of a final court conviction for crimes covered by citizenship legislation.
Another 11% of decisions were linked to failure to fulfill the obligation to register for military service for the first time.
In 10% of cases, the grounds were actions posing a threat to the national security of the Russian Federation.
The remaining 7% involved court-established facts that forged or invalid documents, or knowingly false information, had been provided when Russian citizenship was obtained.
The grounds were distributed as follows:
- 72% — final convictions for crimes covered by law;
- 11% — failure to fulfill the obligation to register for military service for the first time;
- 10% — actions posing a threat to national security;
- 7% — forged documents or knowingly false information.
Rejections of citizenship applications increase
At the same time, the Interior Ministry recorded an increase in the number of foreign nationals denied Russian citizenship.
From January through July 2026, the number of rejected applications rose by 10% compared with the same period last year.
In more than 65% of cases, the reason for rejection was that applicants had provided forged, falsified or invalid documents, or had supplied inaccurate information.
The Interior Ministry stressed that such violations may be identified not only while an application is being reviewed but also after a person has obtained Russian citizenship.
This means that the subsequent discovery of false information or forged documents may result in consequences provided for by law even after the citizenship procedure has been completed.
Oversight of acquired citizenship is being tightened
Russian authorities are paying particular attention to issues involving people who obtained citizenship through the naturalization process.
The Interior Ministry stressed that preventing threats to national and public security remained one of its priorities.
Verification of information submitted by foreign nationals does not necessarily end after a Russian passport is issued. If grounds established by law are identified, the citizenship issue may be reviewed again.
The Interior Ministry’s new data show the scale of this work: during the first seven months of 2026 alone, more than 1,000 decisions were made to forcibly terminate acquired Russian citizenship.
Against the backdrop of a simultaneous increase in rejected applications, these figures point to tighter Russian oversight of compliance with legal requirements when acquired citizenship is obtained and retained.
