Seven thousand more citizens of Ukraine

In 2005, 7,066 foreigners and stateless individuals were granted Ukrainian citizenship, an all-time high during the years of independence, reports Interfax-Ukraine, quoting the President of Ukraine’s press service. The new citizens represent more than 60 nationalities. The overall ethnic structure shows a traditional predominance of CIS residents: 2,580 Russians, 1,013 Armenians, 484 Azeris, 406 Moldovans, and 215 Belarusians. Between 1993 and 1999, 4,630 people became citizens of Ukraine. Comparing the number of individuals who have acquired Ukrainian citizenship in 14 years of independence and those who have waived this citizenship in the same period, one can conclude that influx is 30 times higher than outflow.