Putin drops simplified visa procedures for EU officials
Simplified visa procedures for the EU and other "unfriendly" countries to Russia have been suspended due to their aggressive actions toward the country in light of the Ukraine crisis.
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Among Russia's "unfriendly" countries are the EU member states, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Russia has suspended the procedure of issuing simplified visas for officials and journalists from "unfriendly countries" in light of the massive wave of Western sanctions that flooded Moscow following the beginning of the war in Ukraine, and this measure, among several others, is "retaliatory".
The decree "on retaliatory visa measures in connection with the unfriendly actions of foreign states" was "based on the need to take urgent measures in response", the text published by the Kremlin said.
Moscow's latest measures will see the country scrapping visa exemptions for official delegations from the 27 nations of the European Union, in addition to Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.
Russia has imposed more restrictions on the process for submitting documents and scrapped simplified procedures for multiple-entry visas for officials and journalists.
The decree also instructed its foreign ministry and other agencies to decide on introducing individual entry restrictions for foreign citizens conducting unfriendly actions against Russia.
Among Russia's "unfriendly" countries are the EU member states, the United States, and the United Kingdom, and that list has been updated based on which nations imposed sanctions on the country over Ukraine.
Russia had launched a special military operation in Ukraine due to NATO's eastward expansion, in addition to the Ukrainian shelling of Donbass, the killing of the people of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic, as well as Moscow wanting to "denazify" and demilitarize Ukraine.
In response, the US and its allies have rolled out comprehensive sanctions, including restrictions on the Russian central bank, export control measures, SWIFT cutoff for select banks, and closure of airspace to all Russian flights. Many of their companies have suspended their Russian operations.
The EU itself banned broadcasts by Russia's RT and Sputnik, accusing them of being part of the Kremlin's "manipulation operation".
