In the course of Friday’s meeting with the servicemen, who defend the airport in Donetsk, President Petro Poroshenko handed the Ukrainian passport to Belarusian warrior Siarhei Karotkikh (Serhiy Korotkykh – in Ukrainian), who has been in the ranks of the “Azov” battalion since the very beginning of its establishment, the press office reports.
The President expressed gratitude to the intelligence officer for his courageous and selfless service.
“It has become trendy and prestigious to be a citizen of Ukraine. I am proud of that and it is a pleasure for me to give you this passport,” Petro Poroshenko said.
Mr Karotkikh thanked the President with the words of the Ukrainian warriors “I serve the people of Ukraine”. After receiving the award, the warrior has also said that he had been born in Russia and had been the citizen of Belarus for a long time.
“I am glad that I have been granted Ukrainian citizenship. I’ve been willing to reach this goal for 8 months,” he said.
Earlier, several volunteers have addressed the President with a request to grant Ukrainian citizenship to Mr Karotkikh. The Committee on Citizenship under the President has considered these appeals and positively resolved the issue.
