Reading Russian passportisation as an informal practise

Abstract

Speaker: Margherita Gobbat, University of Bremen and Centre for Social Sciences in Georgia Discussant: George Kyris, University of Birmingham This paper proposes an analysis of Russian passportisation in Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine through the lens of informal practices. Informality emerges in the Russian state procedures to confer passports in violation of international law and as a demand-driven practice. Indeed, individuals ask for the passports of other nations for various reasons, including to enhance their standard of living. While there is comprehensive literature on the topic, there is no extensive examination of passportisation using informalities theories. The research data is collected and analyzed from various open sources, including published reports, journalistic investigations, and academic articles. The definition of Russian passportisation and informality are central to understanding why passportisation can be seen as informal. Russian passportisation can be described as an aggressive strategy of granting citizenship to many people in another country and issuing passports for purposes different from those declared. Informality is defined as an action carried out by a single person or a group of people that ultimately eludes the state or other prominent authority (like the international community), which regulates that group's or society's way of life. Firstly, informality emerges in the Russian state procedures, resulting in violations of international law, often marked by the lack of clear connections between the naturalized individual and the Russian state. The passportisation practices are often regulated by ad hoc law and lack transparency. Additionally, with this practice, Russia intervenes in sovereign states experiencing domestic conflicts to exert influence over their internal politics. Moreover, passportisation has evolved into an informal tool for exerting pressure to control and impede the conflict resolution process. From a bottom-up perspective, seeking a foreign passport is viewed as an informal practice, challenging the central state's authority that traditionally confers citizenship. Consequently, passportisation is not solely a supply-based state policy but a demand-driven practice, wherein the individual's willingness to obtain a Russian passport holds significant sway. The advantages of holding a Russian passport, including opportunities for migration, education, employment, and travel within the Russian Federation, as well as benefits such as a higher pension and support for those involved in current conflicts, contribute to the appeal of this demand-driven practice. Additionally, passportisation practices are intertwined with various informal methods, including blackmail, cooptation, clientelism, peer pressure, the implementation of institutional façade, and selective law enforcement. In conclusion, by examining passportisation procedures in Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, this paper demonstrates, through multi-level analysis, that passportisation, in many aspects, can be characterized as an informal practice.