Zahharova Explains Why Russia Maintains Visa-Free Regime for Ukrainian Citizens

Russia is maintaining its visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens based on humanitarian considerations, in contrast to Kyiv, which has imposed visa requirements on Russians. This was stated by Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, according to TASS.

“The Russian side has repeatedly stated that it will not take similar actions, will not resemble the Kyiv regime, and will not seek revenge on ordinary people who are interested in maintaining friendly and spiritual ties,” the diplomat said during a press briefing. “Given this humanitarian logic, the visa-free regime will be preserved.”

Zakharova reminded that last summer, the Kyiv regime made a decision to impose a visa regime on Russian citizens, unilaterally terminating the intergovernmental bilateral agreement on visa-free travel. “Before that, let me remind you, there has never been a visa regime between Russia and Ukraine. This disruption of practice by Kyiv was aimed at complicating communication between the people as much as possible,” emphasized the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry.