Visa regime for Russians entering Ukraine in effect from July 1  

A visa system for Russians wanting to enter Ukrainian territory is now in force. It began to operate on July 1.  

The new regime was announced by the chief of the State Border Service of Ukraine, Serhiy Deyneko.

Writing on Facebook on July 1, he stated that “The Ukrainian government’s decision to cancel visa-free visits for Russians went into effect today. Visa-free trips are a privilege for citizens of developed democracies that neither kill civilians nor endanger the sovereignty of neighboring nations.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in mid-June that the move to introduce visas for Russians was made “to counter unprecedented threats to Ukraine’s national security.”

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced recently that Russians could apply for visas in eight cities across Russia — Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-Don, and Samara – at the offices of VFS Global, a visa outsourcing company.

The applications will then be processed by Ukrainian diplomatic missions in other countries, as Ukraine severed diplomatic ties shortly after Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.