The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) calls upon the international community to revoke and cease issuing entry visas to all Russian citizens until Russia ends its bloody war on Ukraine, withdraws all its troops from the territories of Ukraine and provides full restitution to Ukraine and its citizens for the reconstruction and damages perpetrated.
“We appreciate the actions taken by the governments of Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Finland and Poland to suspend Russian visas. We also welcome and express our solidarity with the statement of the Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, who stated that the Czech Republic, which holds the EU rotating presidency, would seek bloc-wide consensus on the issue,” stated UWC President Paul Grod.
Opinion polls show that a vast majority of Russians (70-74%) support Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine. A notable share of Russian travelers and workers in the EU are spreading Russian propaganda narratives, demonstrating in various ways their disregard of human rights and the rule of law, upon which the EU and G7 are predicated. Russian visitors are often willing or unwilling agents for Russia’s hybrid war and disinformation campaign that attempts to justify Russia’s murderous war. The UWC has received numerous reports from refugees in EU countries of assaults, threats and other forms of coercion directed against them by Russian nationals.
“Some leaders in the EU claim that it is Putin, not ordinary citizens of Russia, who wages war against Ukraine. However, in reality we see that most Russians eagerly support the illegal actions of their government. Russian citizens are also the ones who have elected and continue to support Putin and other Russian war criminals to run the state. So, they now have to bear responsibility for their actions,” stated Paul Grod, UWC President.
“The Ukrainian World Congress calls upon the governments of the EU and G7 countries to lead by example in implementing a total visa ban on Russian nationals. There are obvious exceptions to citizens of Russia who need asylum such as ethnic Ukrainians who continue to face a cultural ethnocide, anti-war activists, and others on humanitarian grounds. These measures will send a clear message that criminal actions by a state and its people cannot go on without serious consequences,” Mr. Grod added.
