Russian State Duma Speaker says US is behind Vladimir Zelensky’s decision to grant Ukrainian citizenship to "politically persecuted” citizens of Russia

Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin believes that the United States is behind Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s decision to introduce a fast-track system for allegedly "politically persecuted" Russian nationals to get Ukrainian citizenship, - TASS news agency has reported.

"It is clear that the US Department of State is behind these decisions," Volodin said. "Those who have violated the laws of the Russian Federation, who have pilfered and seek to dodge punishment and get a political hideaway by way of an asylum, will be sent to Ukraine instead of the US or the UK," TASS news agency quoted the Duma speaker as saying.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has ordered the government to draw up a bill on streamlining the procedures to obtain Ukrainian citizenship for Russians who are "persecuted based on political grounds." The decree was published on the Ukrainian president’s website on Tuesday.