Effective Monday December 11, millions of Russians who are already subject to exit restrictions are now legally required to hand over their passports to the authorities, which will then "store" the document for them. Those affected by the order, adopted on November 22, now have five days to comply with the injunction, although there is no criminal penalty for those who fail to do so.

Since 2014 and the annexation of Crimea, there has been a gradual expansion of measures banning or restricting people from leaving the country. They affect different parts of the population, for example people facing prosecution or conviction; those with outstanding debts or fines; members of the security services; and even senior civil servants, who must obtain special authorization and are instructed to avoid "unfriendly countries".

This means they are subject to an additional control measure, with the obligation to surrender their external passport (as opposed to the "internal passport," which has served as an identity card since Soviet times). Anyone who fails to do so may have their passport seized when attempting to cross a border. This is fueling fears of a country retreating behind its borders, as in the days of the USSR.

Some new categories are now also affected, such as young people aged between 18 and 30 who have received a call-up for military service, and men who have been summoned to the recruitment office as part of the "partial" mobilization decree announced on September 21, 2022, which is still in force. Holding their passports for them could prove useful for the state in the event of a new wave of mass mobilization, to prevent them from leaving, including those called up for simple "checks." The threat is all the greater given that the law now considers a summons to be issued from the moment it is sent, in written or electronic form, and no longer upon receipt.

The total number of people "deprived" of passports is difficult to estimate, as some of them are secret, but the figure is well into the millions. It is estimated that there are around five million members of the security forces. On the other hand, the number of people banned from leaving the country because of unpaid fines or debts is in the public domain, and stands at seven million.

The agencies with authority to "store" surrendered passports (under unspecified conditions) are the Ministry of the Interior, the security services (FSB), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its representations abroad. Under another law passed in May, the same agencies also have the right to confiscate a passport if an official deems it to be invalid, for example if the personal data entered has changed or if a page has been damaged – but also if the document proves to be "unsuitable for further use," a particularly vague wording.

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