PRAGUE, March 30. /TASS/. The Czech Republic, which stopped issuing entry visas to Russian nationals in late February in the wake of the Ukraine crisis, has resumed issuing them to Russians who are the family members of citizens of the European Union and of the states within the European Economic Area (EEA), Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky told reporters on Wednesday.
"Among them are not only Russians, the family members of Czech citizens who can apply for Czech visas, but also the family members of citizens of other EU countries, as well as the countries bound by international agreements [on free movement of goods and citizens] with the EU, as in the case of European Economic Area," the minister noted.
After February 24, the Czech government announced that due to the Russian operation in Ukraine, entry visas would be issued to Russian nationals only for humanitarian reasons.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24 launched a special military operation in Ukraine following a request for help from the leaders of two Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories. Afterwards, the United States, the United Kingdom and some other states imposed sanctions on individuals and entities in Russia.