5HSRUWRQ5XVVLD finished in 2004 there are still people without documents proving Russian citizenship. The Federal Migration Service of Russia (FMS) estimates that 686,000 people still are without passports.40 For example, in the Novosibirsk region there are approximately one thousand people who still hold the old Soviet passport. The majority of people who lack passports are from disadvantaged backgrounds (for example, homeless people in Russia).41 However, there are some who deliberately reject citizenship of the Russian Federation (Citizenship deniers or ‘063$%7&&43 8889*)+4’ - ‘convinced USSR-people’). There are also those who refuse to change the Soviet passport because of the fact that the new Russian passport does not have information regarding nationality (‘grafa national’nost’). Thus, in 2011 there were two cases brought before the Constitutional Court of Russia which addressed potential human rights violations by the form of the new Russian passport, i.e. with regard to the nationality (ethnicity) of the passport holder (the case of Boris Stepanovich Kononov42 and the case of Kharun Magamedovich Geraev43). Despite the fact that Russian Constitutional Court dismissed both applications, the Court concluded that nationality (ethnicity) does not have any legal significance. The applicants have also demanded to be allowed to use old-style Soviet passports, i.e. to glue in new photos in their Soviet passports.44 These claims were also dismissed by the Constitutional Court of Russia. However, it is important to note that the first complaint was lodged by an applicant of Russian ethnicity and the second by an applicant of non-Russian ethnicity. There is also another group of people who refuse to replace the old Soviet passport for religious reasons. Those citizens claim that the symbols (an ornamental design) on the pages in the modern Russian passport contains the "number of the beast" - 666.45 In the case of Ivanov, Ivanchenko and Litvinova brought before the Constitutional Court of Russia the applicants complained that the new Russian passport violates their freedom of conscience and religion. Thus, the applicants demanded that officials of the FMS allow them to glue their new photo into the Soviet passport. All these women’s requests were refused, which led them to appeal to the Constitutional Court of Russia. In December 2011 the Constitutional Court of Russia rejected their complaints and has also refused to investigate. The reader can form their own conclusion by looking at photos of the Russian passport in Appendix 1 of this paper. 40 There are still 686,000 Soviet passports in Russia. Russian gazette, 04.03.2012. http://www.rg.ru/2012/03/04/pasportanons.html [H ?)..11 )./&$).6 68,6 /'.2<1 ".)*#/.;1E" (&.()+/)*. ?)..1@.;&2 %&9#/&. 04.03.2012] 41 Oxana Smirnova. ‘Inborn by the USSR’ !23 (4675) 2-8 June 2010. http://www.molsib.info/content.php?cat_id=62&id=6234 [B;.&"& A=1+")*&. F+1+),-X""'@ * AAA?. !23 (4675) 2-8 17"2 2010 %)-&]. 42 Decision of the Constitutional Court of the RF from 23.03.2010 N 326-B-O ‘About the dismissal of the complaint of the citizen Kononov Boris Stepanovich regarding the violation of his constitutional rights by the Provision about the passport of the citizen of the Russian Federation’ [B(+#-#$#"1# K)"./1/8D1)"")%) A8-& ?T )/ 23.03.2010 N 326B-B ‘B: )/;&9# * (+1"2/11 ; +&..=)/+#"17 ,&$):' %+&,-&"1"& K)")")*& 5)+1.& A/#(&")*1<& "& "&+8>#"12 #%) ;)"./1/8D1)""'E (+&* F)$),#"1#= ) (&.()+/# %+&,-&"1"& ?)..1@.;)@ T#-#+&D11’]. 43 Decision of the Constitutional Court of the RF from 27.05.2010 N 722-B-B ‘About the dismissal of the complaint of the citizen Geraev Kharun Magamedovich regarding the violation of his constitutional rights by para 4 of the Provision about the passport of the citizen of the Russian Federation’ [B(+#-#$#"1# K)"./1/8D1)"")%) A8-& ?T )/ 27.05.2010 N 722-B-B ‘B: )/;&9# * (+1"2/11 ; +&..=)/+#"17 ,&$):' %+&,-&"1"& 3#+&#*& Y&+8"& V&%&=#-)*1<& "& "&+8>#"1# #%) ;)"./1/8D1)""'E (+&* (8";/)= 4 F)$),#"12 ) (&.()+/# %+&,-&"1"& ?)..1@.;)@ T#-#+&D11’]. 44 According to the legislation of the Russian Federation the passport of the citizen of the USSR of a sample of 1974 has indefinite duration of validity and proves the identity of the citizen of the Russian Federation if the citizen has changed in it photos by reaching the age of 20 and 45 years. However, the applicant's request to glue the new photo into the old Soviet passport was rejected by the Russian authorities. 45 Irina Aroyan. Six of discord. 140 inhabitants of the Rostov region refused Russian passports having discovered in them a mark of Satan. Russian gazette, ! 4721. 05.08.2008. http://www.rg.ru/2008/08/05/a248022.html [J+1"& P+)2". N#./X+;1 +&9-)+&. 140 ,1/#$#@ ?)./)*.;)@ ):$&./1 )/;&9&$1.6 )/ +)..1@.;1E (&.()+/)*, +&9%$2-#* * "1E =#/;8 A&/&"'. ?)..1@.;&2 %&9#/&. ! 4721. 05.08.2008] 56&$6(8'2&,7&5‹$XWKRU