A footnote in a recent report from Helsinki Watch states the following:

All citizens of the former Soviet Union were required to obtain...residence permits [propiski] to live in a particular city and to secure legal employment. The propiska system, a clear infringement on freedom of movement, continues to operate in all of the former republics (15 Apr. 1992, 2).

The report does not provide any additional information on this topic. A researcher at Helsinki Watch stated in a telephone interview that none of the republics of the former Soviet Union have repealed the laws pertaining to residence permits, although the Russian parliament is expected to debate a bill in the fall repealing the propiska system (6 Aug. 1992). The researcher could not provide additional information on the extent to which the system is enforced in rural and/or urban Ukraine.

Consular officials at the Embassies of Ukraine in Ottawa and Washington, D.C. indicated in telephone interviews on 5 August and 7 August 1992 that the majority of Ukrainian residents are registered, and that a system of residence permits is still in effect in Ukraine.The consular official at the Embassy of Ukraine in Ottawa noted that the purpose of the propiska system was to control and account for living arrangements in Ukraine and that the system depended on the Ministry of the Interior or the police. He stated further that in the near future the propiska system will no longer be enforced, and in the meantime, its use is diminishing.

BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 29 June 1992. "Parliament Adopts Decision on New Passport." (NEXIS)

_____. 4 June 1992. "Crimeans Complain About Passports Being Stamped With Word Ukraine." (NEXIS)

Embassy of Ukraine, Ottawa. 5 August 1992. Telephone Interview with Consul.

Embassy of Ukraine, Washington, D.C. 6 August 1992. Telephone Interview with Consul.

Helsinki Watch. 6 August 1992. Telephone Interview with Researcher.

_____. 14 April 1992. Vol. 4, Issue 7. New Citizenship Laws in the Republics of the Former USSR.