Blog, úspěchy, publicistika on Jsme lidé | We are people

Lex Ukrajina’s Future Gift to the Russian Budget

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Today, the June amendments to the Tax Code of the Russian Federation and the regulations on consular fees came into effect, significantly increasing the state fees for acquiring or renouncing Russian citizenship.

The state fee for renouncing Russian citizenship at consulates has risen to 1,200 U.S. dollars, or approximately 25,000 Czech korunas.

Moreover, if the application is rejected, this money will not be refunded.

Once the freeze on citizenship applications from Russians ends, the requirement to renounce one’s former citizenship will remain in effect for an indefinite period—until the entire Lex Ukrajina law or its provisions regarding citizenship for Russians are completely repealed.

The amendment to the Lex Ukrajina law is very beneficial to Russia — it creates a false illusion of security, threatens Putin's opponents, and undermines the sovereignty of the Czech Republic

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

On February 11, 2025, Lex Ukrajina 7 came into force with an amendment prohibiting the granting of citizenship to Russians.

Despite the fact that it has been in force for six months and has been repeatedly analyzed by initiative groups, human rights activists, and professional lawyers, many Czech citizens still do not realize what a “Trojan horse” has been slipped in under the guise of concern for the state security.

Achievements and Constitutional court

Sat, 12 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

We’re happy to share that our efforts have paid off!

The constitutional complaint seeking the annulment of Sections §7x and §7y of Act No. 65/2002 Lex Ukrajina 7 (stížnost) against the discriminatory amendment has been signed by 17 senators and submitted to the Constitutional Court.

But that’s not the only good news!
As of April 11, 2025, our association Jsme Lidé finally has an official bank account.
You can now send donations to help cover our legal costs.
The required initial amount — CZK 60500 — is for drafting and submitting the complaint to the Constitutional Court.

Why don’t Russians in Europe speak out about the war?

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

After the start of the active phase of the war in Ukraine, Russians living in the Czech Republic and other European countries have increasingly been asked to share their position on the events taking place. Sometimes this reaches a completely perverted logic: anyone who, for some reason, does not publicly express this position will certainly be recorded as approving of the war and supporting Russia’s actions.

The reality is completely different: the overwhelming majority of Russians living in the Czech Republic are quite oppositional, oppose the war and are critical of the Russian authorities. It is enough to remember that Putin suffered a crushing defeat in the elections at a polling station in Prague. Even according to official data from the Russian Central Election Commission, he received less than 15% of the votes. According to the results of independent exit polls, only about 4%. This is one of the lowest figures in the entire world.

On the Issue of Matryoshkas

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

For a month now, there have been discussions around the amendment to the Lex Ukrajina law, “Special Rules for Acquiring Citizenship” of the Czech Republic for Russian citizens residing here, initiated by Martin Exner, a deputy from the STAN party. He has been supported by the Minister of the Interior, Vít Rakušan, the BIS, and the Security Council. For a month, Russians hoping to obtain citizenship have been trying to understand what this amendment actually means for them.

Statement in connection with changes regarding the granting of citizenship of the Czech Republic to citizens of Russia

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

On 19 March 2004 the Czech Republic ratified the 1997 European Convention on Nationality, which has been applied in the Czech Republic since July 2004. According to Article 16 of this Convention, a Member State should not make the acquisition or retention of its nationality conditional upon renunciation or loss of another nationality in cases where such renunciation or loss is not possible or cannot reasonably be required.

Also Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union explicitly prohibits any discrimination, including on the basis of nationality. The Charter is binding and applies to all EU member states in cases of implementation of EU law.