Putin gave citizenship to 23 foreigners, including natives of France and Germany

Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted citizenship to 23 foreign nationals, most of them from European Union (EU) countries. The decree was published on December 20 on the official Internet portal of legal information.

Among them are nine women and 14 men. They are natives of France, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium and the United States. There are also representatives of China, Congo, Uzbekistan and Argentina.

The decree of the head of state on admission to Russian citizenship was published on Friday on the official Internet portal of legal information.

Earlier in the day, the Russian president also granted Russian citizenship to Italian opera director Giancarlo del Monaco. Monaco is an Italian director, general manager of several opera companies and festivals. He has staged more than 100 operas in major theaters around the world, including for the Bolshoi Theater.

Before that, on December 19, the governor of Kaluga region Vladislav Shapsha said that the German citizen Lev Deibel, who appealed to Putin, living in Tarusa, will receive Russian citizenship. It is specified that Deibel received a residence permit in 2020, so there are no obstacles to approve the German a Russian passport.