Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a
controversial law this week making it a criminal offense to fail to report dual
citizenship. It's a bid to keep track of potential foreign agents. Russian
citizens who also hold a U.S. passport or one from another country have 60 days
to notify the Federal Migration Service of their status or face a fine of
nearly $6,000.
A survey published Thursday by the Levada Center, an
independent pollster, shows that 71% of Russians view the United States
"badly" or "very badly" — the highest in more than 20
years, with more positive attitudes registered during the Soviet era.
While that hasn't translated into outright
aggression, it is sparking some additional curiosity toward foreigners in the
street.
"My husband ... recently had the experience of
running into a man in a store who didn't like that our son was communicating in
English," said Natalia Antonova, a Ukrainian-American journalist and
playwright who lives in Moscow.
The man, Antonova said, told them that their son
"shouldn't be" bilingual. " 'Just teach him Russian. It's for
the best.' The man wasn't aggressive or anything. He just explained that he's a
patriot, and it's important to encourage patriotic feelings."
Russia has highlighted the political motive of the
new law, pointing to potential "enemies." It comes after Russia
annexed Ukraine's breakaway republic of Crimea in March, prompting sanctions
from the U.S. against Russian officials and businessmen close to Putin.
"This is part of a policy in which (Russia) is trying
to reduce foreign influence on its citizens," said sociologist Olga
Kryshtanovskaya, head of Kryshtanovskaya Laboratory. The dual-citizenship law,
she said, is directed primarily at the elites, many of whom keep their money
and take their vacations abroad."
At least 74,000 people in Russia have a second
passport, the country's migration service said last month.
The new law — and the threat of a possible fine —
has some Russian-Americans in Moscow fearful of what might come next.
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