The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry expressed surprise about media reports that the ban on the travels to Ukraine of Russian journalist Arkady Mamontov were lifted.
"We are extremely surprised by these reports quoting a source at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. Everyone knows that the Foreign Ministry does not ban or allow travels to Ukraine," Head of the Foreign Ministry Information Policy Department Oleg Voloshyn said on Wednesday.
He added that such issues are dealt with by law enforcement bodies only.
Earlier, the media reported quoting Ukrainian Foreign Ministry sources that the Ukrainian authorities allowed Mamontov to enter Ukraine. The journalist confirmed that the ban on his travels to Ukraine had been lifted.
Mamontov’s film crew was detained at Kyiv airport in September 2009. A five-year ban on their entry to Ukraine was imposed. The Ukrainian Security Service said that the decision had been made because the Russian journalists were spreading untrue information about Ukrainian citizens.
The media assumed that Kyiv was dissatisfied with thier film about the involvement of Ukrainians in the August 2008 developments in the Caucasus, supporting Georgia.
