In Russia, all citizens over the age of 14 have to have a “passport.” This is an internal form of identification. The passports contain (among other things), you name, place of registration, and your nationality.
In Russia, the Jews are considered a nationality. So, if you are a Jew living in Russia, you are listed as “Jewish” in your passport. In short, you are registered as a Jew.
What are they doing differently in Ukraine?
~In Russia, all citizens over the age of 14 have to have a “passport.” This is an internal form of identification. The passports contain (among other things), you name, place of registration, and your nationality~
In fact removing nationality from newly issued national IDs was one of the first post-Soviet reforms in Russia, Cowboy Bob.
Older Soviet passports issued under communists, featuring ethnicity, were declared invalid in 2002 or 2004.