$OH[DQGHU6DOHQNR the respective citizenship legislation on the federal level (union legislation) was consequently developed by the Soviet legislator. While several citizenship laws were adopted at the federal level, citizenship of the Soviet Republics remained without legislative codification. 2) The Soviet Union consistently denied the right of dual (multiple) citizenship. 3) The Soviet state always preserved some means of citizenship deprivation. These three features of Soviet Citizenship legislation became the focus of public discussion in the post-Soviet period. The legislator of the Russian Federation would renounce these kinds of provisions in the new citizenship law which was adopted in 1991 and entered into force in 1992, and which represented a great liberalisation of the Russian citizenship regime. 3.3 Post-Soviet Citizenship Law 1991-2002 3.3.1 The Yeltsin Era: The Russian citizenship law 1991 and the status of citizens of the former USSR The elaboration of a new citizenship law at the level of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) started during the existence of the Soviet Union. Originally, the main intention of the policymakers was merely to provide detailed regulations for the declarative provisions of the Soviet legislation regarding republican citizenship (i.e. with regard to citizenship of the RSFSR). Thus, on 12 June 1990 the First Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR adopted the Declaration on State Sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR).21 Based on its exact wording, this declaration can be considered as a political act of the RSFSR which proclaimed the sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Republic (RSFSR) remaining part of the Soviet Union. The preamble of the declaration stated: ‘The First Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR affirms the state sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) and declares the political intention to establish a democratic constitutional state within a renewed (reformed) Soviet Union’. According to Article 6 of the Declaration, ‘the RSFSR is unionizing with other Republics into the Union based on the Treaty. The RSFSR recognizes and respects the sovereign rights of Soviet Republics and of the Soviet Union’. Article 11 of the Declaration stated that ‘the Republican Citizenship of the RSFSR is settled on the whole territory of the RSFSR. Every citizen of the RSFSR retains the citizenship of the USSR’. In this context, one important fact must be noted: the referendum regarding the future of the Soviet Union was held on 17 March 1991. About 148.5 million people participated in this referendum (turnout was 80% across the USSR) and the result was 76.4% of citizens were in favour of the ‘preservation of the USSR as a renewed federation of equal sovereign republics’.22 The following Soviet republics did not participate in the referendum: Armenia, Estonia, Georgia23, Latvia, Lithuania, and Moldova24. Thus, nine of fifteen soviet republics took part in the referendum.25 Of course, it was not possible to keep the Soviet Union unchanged in the form of all 21 Available in Russian at: http://constitution.garant.ru/act/base/10200087/ The question of the referendum on 17 March 1991 was formulated as follows: ‘Do you consider as necessary the preservation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as a renewed federation of equal sovereign republics in which the rights and freedoms of an individual of any nationality will be fully guaranteed?’ (Are you for the USSR? 20 years of the referendum about preservation of the Soviet Union. Kommersant. !10 (914), 14.03.2011. http://www.kommersant.ru/Doc/1598907 [H' 9& AAA?? 20 $#/ +#4#+#"-8=8 ) .)E+&"#"11 A)*#/.;)%) A)79&. L,#"#-#$6"1; "K)==#+.&"/M", !10 (914), 14.03.2011]. 23 People in Abkhazia and South Ossetia participated in this referendum supporting the continued existence of the renewed Soviet Union. 24 The following parts of the Moldavian SSR took part in the referendum - Transnistria and Gagauzia - and voted almost unanimously in favour of remaining part of the USSR. 25 Olga Shkurenko. ‘Soyuzny Prigovor’ (Union’s Verdict). Kommersant, !48 (952), 05.12.2011]. http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/1826370 [B$6%& N;8+#";). A)79"'@ (+1%)*)+. L,#"#-#$6"1; "K)==#+.&"/M", !48 (952), 05.12.2011]. http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/1826370 22  56&$6(8'2&,7&5‹$XWKRU