MOSCOW, May 13. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Ministry recommends Russian citizens to refrain from trips to the UK and from attempts to obtain British visas, the Ministry said in a statement about the situation with visa issuing in Russia.
"Taking into account the extremely unfriendly course of the British government towards our country, in order to avoid financial losses and other potential problems, we recommend Russian citizens to refrain, if possible, from trips to the UK and from attempting to obtain British visas. Until the situation is resolved, we will act in the same way towards the British citizens," the Ministry noted.
The Ministry noted that, lately, it has been receiving numerous complaints from Russian citizens that it has become effectively impossible or extremely difficult for them to obtain a UK visa.
"We are talking not only about tourists, but about Russian citizens working in the UK under contracts, as well as those willing to visit their relatives or reconnect with their families," the Ministry said. "In this regard, we raised a question about the emerged unacceptable situation before the British embassy in Moscow, and demanded coherent explanations on the substance of the issue."
"According to the explanations of the British side, the British visa service allegedly prioritizes visa applications from Ukrainian refugees. In this regard, the reviewing of Russian citizens’ applications for British visas is being significantly delayed," the Ministry added.
Additional complications
The Ministry added that the situation is being exacerbated by the obligatory advance non-cash payment of consular fee after filing the online questionnaire.
"Considering the anti-Russian sanctions, imposed by London, it is impossible to pay the fee via Visa or Mastercard cards, emitted by a Russian bank, because this must be done on a British website," the Ministry noted.
The Foreign Ministry views such actions of British officials as violation of rights of Russian citizens.
"We’ve pointed it out directly that such approach of London to common citizens of our country contradicts all previously achieved Russian-British agreements on consular issues. We’ve also stated the total unacceptability of such neglectful attitude towards Russians. The actions of the British officials could be characterized only as violation of rights of Russian citizens," the Ministry concluded.