Donetsk, Apr 24 – DAN. The DPR Head Denis Pushilin has thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for easing the procedure to grant Russian citizenship to Donbass residents.

Russian president Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed a decree to allow residents of the Donbass region to obtain Russian citizenship under a simplified procedure.

"On behalf of all the DPR citizens, I express gratitude to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin for such an important decision. We have been waiting for this step for a long time and we infinitely happy that this day has come," he said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

Pushilin emphasized that the simplified procedure for granting Russian citizenship to Donbass residents is an important milestone in the history of the Donbass Republics.

On March 29, Russian law allowing the President to define categories of foreigners eligible for a simplified procedure came into force. The document also opens wider opportunities for participants of the voluntary compatriot resettlement program. *ot