Ukraine introduces visa regime with Russia
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From July 1, 2022, Ukraine will introduce a visa regime with Russia. The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmygal announced this on his Telegram channel. The relevant resolution was approved by the government at today's meeting.
According to the Prime Minister, the new entry regime for Russian citizens is aimed at counteracting unprecedented threats to the national security, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of Ukraine.
The Foreign Ministry also commented on the decision. "From the very beginning of the aggression, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine advocated the introduction of a visa regime with Russia. The time has come for such a decision. This is a well-thought-out step that will protect the national security of our state. And it is symbolic that the decision on the visa regime with the Russians coincided with the announcement by the European Commission of a recommendation to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU membership. The direction of movement of our state is obvious. We must clearly understand who comes to us from where and for what purpose. The visa regime will help identify people who threaten national security at a distance from Ukraine," Dmytro Kuleba said.
The State Border Guard Service provided interesting statistics on the entry of Russians into Ukraine. There are no data on 2022, but for obvious reasons, after February 24, the flow of Russian citizens has decreased significantly.
According to the SBGS, the entry of Russians has been steadily declining since 2013:
• 2013 - 10.8 million,
• 2014 - 2.5 million,
• 2015-2019 - indicators fluctuated at 1.5 million per year,
• 2020 - 400 thousand,
• 2021 - 500 thousand.
Regarding refusals to enter, the largest number was also observed in 2013:
• 2013 - 900 thousand,
• 2014 - 15.5 thousand,
• 2015 - 11 thousand,
• 2016-2019 - indicators fluctuated at the level of 6-7 thousand per year,
• 2020 - 3 thousand,
• 2021 - 7 thousand.
The Foreign Ministry is currently working on a mechanism for issuing visas to Russian citizens and choosing an intermediary country between Ukraine and Russia. Russian citizens will be able to apply for visas through Russian visa centers, but the details of the procedure and the cost of visas will be announced by the Foreign Ministry later. Russian citizens with permanent residence permits will be able to enter Ukraine without the need for visas.
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