A bill has been submitted for consideration to the State Duma (Russia’s lower chamber of parliament) to lower the age for taking the citizenship oath from 18 to 14 years.  The document is available in the lower house's electronic database.

RIA Novosti reports that the bill was authored by a group of State Duma members led by Leonid Kalashnikov, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs.

Currently, only adult foreign nationals are required to take the oath when receiving a Russian passport.

“To enhance patriotic spirit and the conscious acceptance of the obligation to comply with the Constitution of the Russian Federation and Russian legislation, the bill proposes lowering the age for those required to take the oath from 18 to 14 years,” the document states.

The authors also noted instances where applicants have refused to take the oath.  Therefore, the bill proposes that decisions granting citizenship be deemed invalid if an individual refuses to take the Russian citizenship oath.

Taking an oath when receiving Russian citizenship was introduced at the initiative of President Vladimir Putin.

Under the procedure, the applicant reads a text affirming that they voluntarily and consciously accept

Russian citizenship and pledge to:

• Abide by the Constitution and laws of the Russian Federation;
• Respect the rights and freedoms of its citizens;
• Fulfill the duties of a Russian citizen for the benefit of the state and society;
• Defend the freedom and independence of the Russian Federation;
• Be loyal to Russia and respect its culture, history, and traditions.

Decisions on granting Russian citizenship take effect on the day the oath is taken. If the oath is not taken within one year of the decision, it is considered void.