Our expert answers your questions about Ukraine

If your mother herself did not apply for the renunciation of your Ukrainian citizenship when you were a child, or you yourself did not do this after reaching the age of majority, then you are most likely from the point of view of Ukraine is still a citizen of this country.

However, Ukraine does not recognize dual citizenship at the moment and the fact that you have another citiznship may serve as a reason for depriving you of Ukrainian citizenship. In practice, this is almost never done.

Thus, if you come to the Ukrainian embassy and ask to issue Ukrainian documents, then most likely you will be refused because you have another citizenship or you will be asked to terminate it in order to obtain Ukrainian documents, which is unlikely to interest you. So it is best to wait and probably in the coming years this Ukrainian law will be changed and dual citizenship will be allowed in Ukraine and you will be able to get Ukrainian documents without any problems.

In short, yes it is possible (parents can also do it for their children) via the embassy of Ukraine to the US, but this is a rather bureaucratic and lengthy procedure. They can check the following article on the procedure for renunciation of Ukrainian citizenship.

In general, I'm not sure that there is any urgent need to start this process at all, Ukrainian citizenship will not be an obstacle to obtaining US citizenship, for example. Moreover, the very fact of having another citizenship is the basis for the automatic termination of Ukrainian citizenship, since Ukraine doesn't recognize dual citizenship. However, in practice this is rarely done.

So they should think thoroughly before starting this procedure, which may not be possible without returning to Ukraine.

In accordance with Ukrainian legislation, a person automatically becomes a citizen of Ukraine, if the parents or one of the parents are citizens of Ukraine at the time of his/her birth. So for Ukraine you are still considered a citizen of Ukraine.

However, Ukraine doesn't recognize dual citizenship and can deprive its citizenship of persons who have another citizenship (your case). In practice, this is almost never done. But the issue of your US citizenship will definitely arise if you, for example, contact the Ukrainian embassy in the US to obtain Ukrainian documents, most likely you will be refused for this reason or they will ask you to pledge to terminate your US citizenship.

If after reaching the age of 18, you yourself haven't renounced your Ukrainian citizenship or your guardians did not do this before you reached the age of 18, then you are still considered a citizen of Ukraine.

However, Ukraine doesn't recognize dual citizenship. Thus, the fact that you are a US citizen may serve as a basis for terminating your Ukrainian citizenship. In practice, this almost never happens, but this issue will definitely arise if you, for example, come to the Ukrainian embassy in the US to get Ukrainian documents.

As far as I understand, they both left their birthplaces before the First World War. At that time these territories were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. If this is the case, then their descendants are not Ukrainian citizens and don't have the right to obtain Ukrainian citizenship by geographical origin.

If they had left these places at the end of the war, in 1918, when the Western Ukrainian People's Republic was formed in these territories, then their descendants would have the right to take Ukrainian citizenship by geographical origin.

According to the Migration Service of Ukraine, foreigners who have pledged to terminate foreign citizenship, shall be registered as citizens of Ukraine if they meet the following condition.

Such person or at least one of his/her parents, grandparents were born or permanently resided on the territories that at the time of their birth or during their permanent residence were part of the Ukrainian People's Republic, the West Ukrainian People's Republic, the Ukrainian State, the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic, Zakarpattia Ukraine, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukrainian SSR).

You father was born when the Ukrainian state didn't exist. But he probably permanently lived in Soviet Ukraine. So you should have the right to become a citizen of Ukraine, contact the embassy of Ukraine to the UK to get more info. Although I'm not sure if it's worth it given that you have to terminate your current citizenship.

In accordance with Article #11 of the Law of Ukraine "On Citizenship of Ukraine", a child who is a foreigner or a stateless person becomes a citizen of Ukraine from the moment the decision on adoption by a citizen of Ukraine comes into force, regardless of whether he/she resides permanently in Ukraine or abroad.

You have a more complicated case, since your mother adopted you already being a US citizen (having at the same time the right to become a citizen of Ukraine since her parents were Ukrainians). I can't say anything about German citizenship. Try contacting the German and Ukrainian embassies in the US directly.

In any case, there is no need to rush, because at least in Ukraine a new law allowing dual citizenship has not yet been adopted, and most likely will not be at least until the end of the war.

According to the Migration Service of Ukraine: As provided in Article 8 of the Law on the Ukrainian Citizenship, a foreigner who has pledged to terminate foreign citizenship, who have applied for Ukrainian citizenship shall be registered as citizens of Ukraine if they meet one of the following conditions:

Such person or at least one of his/her parents, grandparents were born or permanently resided, until August 24, 1991, on the territory that became the territory of Ukraine.

So your father and you have the right to become Ukrainian citizens, although you have to pledge to terminate your UK citizenship, as Ukraine doesn't recognize dual citizenship at the moment.

Your child born in the United States is automatically granted the US citizenship. However, born of a citizen of Ukraine, the child also has the right to obtain Ukrainian citizenship, despite the fact that Ukraine doesn't recognize dual citizenship. Read the following article about this situation with the description of the process.

As for visiting Donetsk, I would strongly advise against doing it under any circumstances, it is too risky since Ukraine doesn't control this city and all power in it belongs to pro-Russian separatists who can literally do whatever they want, especially with visitors from other countries. Going there with a child looks very risky as well. Your grandparents can get free passes online allowing them to leave the conflict zone and meet you in Kyiv. It would be the best way to do it.