KYIV, May 1 - President-elect Volodymyr Zelenskiy challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin over dwindling political freedoms in Russia and suggested Ukraine may offer citizenship to those Russians that are suffering from political oppression.

Zelenskiy responded to Putin’s recent controversial decree that simplifies Russian citizenship for Ukrainians living in the breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.

The decree may further complicate political solution to military conflict in the regions even before Zelenskiy is sworn in to the presidency later this year.

"I would not advise the Russian authorities to waste time trying to tempt citizens of Ukraine with Russian passports," he said in a Facebook post late Saturday.

"The difference for Ukraine, in particular, lies in the fact that we, Ukrainians, have freedom of speech, free media and the Internet in our country. Therefore, we know perfectly well what a Russian passport actually provides.
This is the right to be arrested for peaceful protest. It is the right not to have free and competitive elections. This is the right to forget about the existence of natural rights and freedoms."

Writing in both Russian and Ukrainian, Zelenskiy presented Ukraine as a bulwark against the Kremlin's brand of authoritarianism, saying his government will offer Ukrainian citizenship to those opposed to Putin's rule.

"Ukraine will not give up its mission to serve as an example of democracy for the post-Soviet countries," he said. "And part of this mission will be the provision of protection, asylum and Ukrainian citizenship to all who are ready to fight for freedom. We will provide shelter and assistance to everyone -- everyone who is ready to fight side by side with us for our freedom and yours."

That phrase -- "for our freedom and yours" -- has a particular historic resonance. Originally a slogan of Polish independence movements in the 19th century, it's a slogan that means that any struggle against despotism must be a shared struggle, CNN reported.

Zelenskiy is not set to take office until early June, so it's unclear how much of this back-and-forth will set the new tone for relations between Moscow and Kiev. But it's clear that for now, at least, Zelenskiy is willing to take on Putin at a rhetorical level.

And as yet, it's unclear whether the Kremlin will move forward with plans to offer Russian passports to all citizens of Ukraine.

"It's too early to talk about such modalities," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday.

Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a proxy war since Moscow's annexation of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in 2014. Giving Russian passports to Ukrainians -- a measure Putin described last week as "purely humanitarian" -- could be seen as a pretext for further Russian meddling in Ukraine.

Putin declined to send congratulations to Zelenskiy after his landslide election victory in April. (cnn/ez)