Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a passport law that restricts military-age men – 18 to 50 – from leaving the country's borders. This order may prevent these Russians from entering the Jewish state.
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The law, which goes into effect within 180 days, imposes restrictions on travel abroad for certain categories of citizens, with an emphasis on men of conscription age.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that will prevent people of conscription age from leaving the borders of Russia
(Photo: Reuters)
Any person who has been issued a conscription order or a civil service order will be required to deposit his passport. The passport will be kept until the expiration of the temporary restriction or the expiration date of the order.
Those who are released from military service in the FSB - the Russian Federal Security Service - will be required to deposit their passport for up to five years from the date of termination of their service. Holders of diplomatic passports and service passports will also be required to deposit their passports after the end of their duties.
In Israel, officials fear that this law will harm Russian immigration to Israel.
The Israeli Embassy in Moscow previously issued a warning to Israelis who hold dual Israeli-Russian citizenship which said that "the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to bring to the public's attention that an Israeli citizen who also holds Russian citizenship and who enters, stays or will stay in the territory of the Russian Federation, is subject to the law and regulations in Russia, including decisions concerning the recruitment of citizens into the Russian army and the possibility of leaving the territory of the country. Citizens of Israel who hold Russian citizenship are asked to take this information into account when planning their trips and staying in Russian territories."
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Russians fleeing across the Georgia-Russia border after the announcement of forced conscription in February 2023
(Photo: AP)
In 2022, 43,000 Jews immigrated to Israel from Russia and several thousand more (the exact number is unknown) arrived on a tourist visa and requested an appointment at the Ministry of the Interior for the purpose of changing immigrant status.
From the beginning of the year until the month of April (inclusive), 17,000 Jews immigrated to Israel.
Aliyah activist Alex Tanzer said that Russia has recently started canceling international agreements and the public should prepare for the possibility that it will also cancel agreements it signed with Israel, such as the agreement to pay pensions to expatriates of Russia.