. Identification re ention and reduction o state essness A facilitated naturalization procedure, available from 2003 to 2009, allowed former USSR citizens to acquire Russian nationality by waiving the requirements that were most difficult to fulfil. In 2009, the 2002 Law on Citizenship was amended to extend the list of persons eligible to acquire citizenship through the simplified procedure. More than 650,000 stateless persons acquired Russian nationality through naturalization between 2003 and 2012. This represents one of the most successful efforts at reduction of statelessness in the past decade. See UNHCR Good Practices Paper – Action 1: Resolving Existing Major Situations of Statelessness, 2015, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/54e75a244.html V.4. Protection of stateless persons Despite efforts by participating States to prevent and reduce statelessness, the phenomenon continues. Stateless persons must, therefore, be afforded protection until such time as their predicament can be resolved through the acquisition of an effective nationality. Common protection issues faced by stateless persons Stateless populations often face a broad range of protection risks and limitations of their rights. These risks and limitations can be addressed or at least mitigated when a protection regime for stateless persons is in place at the national level. The following non-exhaustive list provides an overview of common challenges frequently faced by stateless persons. The challenges often have to do with a lack of legislative provisions that address the situation of stateless persons but also sometimes with discrimination and abuse by authorities. 72