Russia promotes visit to India, UAE; urges citizens to avoid Europe travel amid war

Amid the ongoing war with Ukraine, the Russian government on Tuesday issued a travel advisory for its citizens and urged them not to travel to "dangerous" European countries. Natalia Kostenko, the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Tourism and Tourism Infrastructure Development, stated that travelling to European countries at the moment would not be safe for Russians because of the large numbers of Ukrainians residing abroad. She also named destinations that should be safe for Russian tourists such as India, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, etc. 

On Monday, April 4, Russia's President Vladimir Putin also signed a decree suspending visa facilitation agreements with "unfriendly" European Union (EU) countries in response to sanctions imposed on Moscow. The country's simplified visa process has been suspended with some EU countries as well as Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, Liechtenstein and Iceland, TASS news agency reported. The document was published on the official portal of legal information.

Russia suspends certain visa provisions of 2006 agreement with European Community

The Russian President decided to suspend certain provisions of the May 25, 2006 Agreement between Russia and the European Community on the facilitation of visa issuance to citizens of the Russian Federation and the European Union. Putin also instructed the Foreign Ministry to impose personal restrictions on entry into the Russian Federation for foreigners and stateless people who indulge in committing "unfriendly acts". Notably, the war between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate and entered its 41st day on Tuesday. 

Russia rejects possibility of using nuclear weapons against Ukraine

It is significant to mention here that Russia has rejected the possibility of using nuclear weapons against Ukraine. Russia's First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyanskiy, stated that Moscow would resort to nuclear weapons only if the existence of the state comes under threat. During a meeting of the UN Disarmament Commission, Polyanskiy refuted all allegations and speculation that Russia is mulling using nuclear weapons against Ukraine, Sputnik reported. 

Image: AP