SIMFEROPOL, July 11. /TASS/. Ukraine’s border guards have refused entry to a 66-year-old tourist from Germany who was trying to enter Ukraine through the Armyansk checkpoint on the border with Crimea, the Russian Federal Security Service’s (FSB) Border Guard Department for the Republic of Crimea reported on Monday.
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"He (tourist) carried out a tour from St. Petersburg to Makhachkala. Crimea was the end point of his route. Here he intended to cross the Russian-Ukrainian border and return home through Ukraine," the border guard department said.
The Russian border guards warned the foreigner that his trip might be interrupted due to the decision of the Ukrainian side. However, the German went on a journey, hoping that as a citizen of the EU he would be granted access to the country.
The man was not allowed to enter Ukraine. "The German pensioner later admitted he had heard that such incidents happen with Russians on the Ukrainian border, but did not expect this attitude to guests from Europe", the border department’s press service said.
The German citizen’s visa did not provide for another entry in Russia. "In order to resolve this situation, the Russian border guards immediately contacted the Crimean office of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As a result of joint prompt actions of the border guards and diplomats, the German citizen could leave for his home country with the single entry visa to Russia," the FSB department said.
Crimean border guards say that this is not for the first time that the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine restricts freedom of movement of EU citizens that have valid documents for crossing the state border.