Putin facilitates entry of Ukrainians to Russia

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Friday that facilitates the entry of Ukrainian citizens to Russia.

A Ukrainian can cross into Russia without a visa on an internal or foreign Ukrainian passport, diplomatic or service passport, an identity card of a sailor or an aircraft crew member, according to the decree published on the government's portal

Entry is also possible with documents that have expired.

For children, a birth certificate or a passport of a legal representative with information about the child will be required.

A child who is a citizen of Ukraine can leave Russia with a legal representative or with an adult who has notarized consent.

Since 1997, there has been an agreement between Russia and Ukraine on visa-free travel for citizens of both countries. After Jan. 1, 2023, at the initiative of Ukraine, the agreement was terminated.

But Russian authorities decided to keep visa-free entry to the Russian Federation for Ukrainian citizens.