KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2019) More than 500 Russian citizens have been denied entry to Ukraine since the beginning of 2019, spokesman for the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service Andriy Demchenko said on Thursday.
"Since the beginning of 2019, 509 Russian citizens were barred from entering Ukraine but 28,000 Russian citizens managed to cross the border with Ukraine," Demchenko said, as quoted by the UNN news agency.
In late November, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko imposed martial law in a number of regions in Ukraine, including those bordering Russia following the incident in the Kerch Strait that resulted in detention of Ukrainian vessels and sailors by the Russian border guard service. The president also imposed restrictions on the entry of Russian male citizens aged 16 to 60. The martial law has already expired but some Russian citizens continue to face difficulties when trying to enter Ukraine.
In response to travel restrictions for Russian citizens introduced by Kiev, Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised not to retaliate against this move, but even facilitate Ukrainians' stay in Russia and obtaining citizenship. The Russian Foreign Ministry has noted that this decision proves Russia's good intentions toward Ukrainians.
