Forget visa-free: Ukraine introduces entry visas for Russians

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced today that all citizens of the Russian Federation will be required to have a valid visa to enter Ukraine starting from July 1.

Ukraine severed diplomatic relations with Russian Federation in the wake of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war of aggression against the country and closed all of its embassy and consulates in Russia.

After the visa regime going into effect today, those Russians who wish to get to Ukraine will have to apply for visas at the centers of an external service provider of VFS Global in eight cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-Don and Samara.

After that, visa applications will be processed by Ukrainian diplomatic institutions in third countries in cooperation with the authorities concerned.

Starting today, the citizens of Russian Federation, even those holding valid Ukrainian visas, may be denied entry into Ukraine. A final decision whether to let visitors cross the border or turn them back will be made by Ukrainian border guards.

According to Ukraine’s State Border Service, proper passport documents, lack of evidence about entry restrictions, confirmation of the trip’s purpose and a sufficient amount of cash will be the mandatory conditions.

Russian citizens in third countries will be able to apply for visas to Ukraine’s foreign diplomatic offices in these countries.