Ukrainians will be given the right to enter Russia without foreign passports

Citizens of Ukraine will still be able to enter the territory of Russia on a general passport. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, commenting on Kyiv's decision to ban Russians from entering Ukraine without a passport.

Lavrov recalled that since the beginning of 2015, Russia has been switching with most CIS countries to mutual trips on foreign passports. However, for Ukraine, taking into account what is happening in this country, the Russian authorities decided to make an exception, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Sergey Lavrov also called untrue the statement of the Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk that the initiative to switch to travel on foreign passports came from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In the near future, Lavrov added, the Russian Foreign Ministry will issue a separate statement regarding the ban on Russians from entering Ukraine with common passports.

“We are really moving with most CIS countries to mutual trips on foreign passports, while maintaining a visa-free regime, but with respect to Ukraine, given the crisis that has now erupted within this country, we intend to make an exception,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov .

TASS

• Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced on February 3 that general passports, as well as birth certificates, from March 1, are not documents that give Russians the right to enter Ukrainian territory.
• In January, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that for citizens of Ukraine of military age it is necessary to increase the maximum period of stay in Russia. Many Ukrainians, Putin said at the time, are evading mobilization and trying to come to Russia to “sit out” here for a while.
• A few days after Putin's speech, the Federal Migration Service (FMS) reported that the time of stay in the Russian Federation of Ukrainian citizens, including military age, was extended for more than 90 days.