MOSCOW, November 6 (RAPSI) – A member of the Presidential Council of Human Rights Alexander Brod has favored a bill giving Ukrainians and Belarusians a chance to receive Russian citizenship without a language exam, the advisory body’s press service reports.

The human rights campaigner called the new a helping hand, primarily to all residents of Ukraine speaking Russian language, who face discrimination by the country’s authorities. He also proposed to apply similar measures to native speaker of Russian in the Baltic states, where language discrimination is rising.

In late October, Russia’s Cabinet of Ministers submitted a bill envisages recognition of Ukrainian and Belarusian nationals fluent in Russian language as native speakers without interview passing.

The bill stipulates that a commission may recognize citizens of Belarus and Ukraine speaking Russian fluently may as native speakers automatically, without an exam, if they personally filed a corresponding application confirming that they or their close relatives are permanently residing in Russia or earlier permanently lived on the territory of imperial Russia or the USSR within the current boundaries of Russia.