Bill passed to speed up citizenship for foreigners serving in Ukrainian army

 The bill says foreign nationals in the Ukrainian Army are eligible to obtain Ukrainian citizenship in three years instead of the normal five years. They are also not required to obtain a residence permit before applying for the citizenship. The bill must be signed by President Petro Poroshenko to become law. In November, Poroshenko signed a law that made it legal for foreigners to serve in Ukraine's military. Many volunteers from other countries have joined Ukraine's armed forces and volunteer brigades since early 2014 when conflict broke out between government forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.