OREANDA-NEWS. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law abolishing the exam for citizens of Ukraine and Belarus who wish to obtain the status of native speakers of the Russian language.

The decision whether to recognize foreigners or stateless persons as native speakers of Russian was previously made after an interview conducted by a special commission. The acquisition of this status allows a person to obtain Russian citizenship under a simplified procedure.

According to the new law, citizens of Ukraine and Belarus who are fluent in Russian can be recognized as native speakers upon personal submission of an application if there are special grounds: they or their direct relatives live or previously permanently resided in Russia, the USSR or the Russian Empire within the current state border.