Ukrainian nationals carrying a national passport or other government IDs, even if expired, can cross the Russian border visa-free after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree, on Friday, according to the official legal information portal.

In addition to other things, the decree also included birth certificates for minors under the age of 16, diplomatic and service passports, passports for maritime personnel, and certificates for aviation crew members.

The decree also noted that those without legitimate documentation can leave Russia by crossing its land border with adjacent countries using a copy of a foreign national identity certificate issued by local Russian Interior Ministry offices, according to the decree.

In June of 2022, the head of the military-civil administration of the Zaporizhzhia region, Yevgeny Balitsky, handed over Russian passports to dozens of residents in a step that marked a rejection of Ukraine from the region.

"Russia will not go anywhere," he promised the residents as he handed them over the Russian documents.

The ceremony of presenting passports in Melitopol was timed to coincide with Russia Day, designated to celebrate the state sovereignty of the Russian Federation from the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.

"Today, on Russia Day, I congratulate everyone who has become a citizen of a huge, great, fair country with pride in my heart," Balitsky said at the ceremony.

"These lands were at one time conquered by the tsars, rebuilt by the Soviet Union, and will develop together with the entire people of Ukraine," he stressed.

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