Russian Lawmakers OK Bill Obliging Naturalized Citizens To Register For Military

The Russian parliament's lower chamber, the State Duma, on July 31 approved in all three readings a bill that obliges naturalized Russian citizens to go through military registration. According to the bill, naturalized citizens who fail to register will be deprived of their Russian passports. Since January, police raids on labor migrants from Central Asia have increased across Russia. In some cases, detained labor migrants have been forcibly brought to military enlistment centers where they were forced to sign contracts for deployment in Ukraine. The bill now must be approved by the parliament's upper chamber, the Federation Council, and signed by the president. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.