More than 4,300 EU and US citizens have applied for temporary residence permits in Russia since the procedure for obtaining them was simplified, Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said.

“In addition, a presidential decree has significantly simplified the procedure for obtaining temporary residence permits for certain categories of individuals from unfriendly countries. This applies to those willing to relocate because they disagree with their countries’ policies. Since this mechanism was implemented, more than 4,300 applications have been received, primarily from citizens of the European Union, the United States, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Canada,” he said at the Federation Council, or upper house of parliament.