Kazakhstan says it won't issue permanent residence permits to Russian citizens without Moscow's permission, as large numbers of Russians seek to leave following the Kremlin's announcement of a partial military mobilization.
Parliament speaker Maulen Ashimbaev told reporters in Astana on September 22 that the Central Asian state's law enforcement and migration officials were working in accordance with the law, processing requests by foreign nationals, including Russians, to obtain permanent residence in the country.
"Our official institutions will not issue residence permits to individuals who fail to provide documents proving that the countries of their citizenship have no objections against their move to Kazakhstan," Ashimbaev said.
"In general, the state entities are aware of the situation [regarding the abrupt increase of the number of Russian nationals entering the country]. We are holding talks on the issue."
After Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilization on September 21, thousands of Russians left for countries where Russians can enter without visas, such as Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Serbia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia.
SEE ALSO: Russians Rush For Flights Out After Partial Mobilization AnnouncedKazakh officials said earlier in April that the number of Russian nationals seeking permanent residence in Kazakhstan increased in the first four months of 2022 but did not link the trend with Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, launched in late February.
The RBK news agency reported last month that the number of Russian citizens who moved to Kazakhstan in April-May this year was 570,000, which is almost 30 percent higher that the number of Russians who settled in Kazakhstan in January-March.