Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed his government to allow visa-free travel for foreigners, even if their countries of origin require visas for Russians, The Moscow Times reports.

The published decree of the Kremlin dated October 30 instructs the government headed by Prime Minister Mykhailo Mishustin to simplify the visa-free regime for citizens who want to enter the country for tourist, cultural, sports or business purposes, even if the country of destination, Russians are asked visas

Ukraine, for example, introduced mandatory visas for Russian citizens wishing to enter the country on July 1 and closed its borders with Russia in response to Putin’s invasion on February 24.

The decree, signed by Putin late last month, sets a deadline for his proposal of next June, with Federal Security Service (FSB) director Mishustin, Sergei Lavrov and Russia’s interior minister to come up with a solution by then.

Vladimir Putin demands to increase flights to foreign countries

The document also obliges officials to increase the number of flights abroad, expand tourist visa programs and extend them for so-called “friendly countries” in relation to Moscow.

In a speech last week at the Vaidai discussion club, Putin called African, Latin American and some Asian countries “friends of Russia.”

The largest Russian airline Aeroflot announced in mid-October that it is considering increasing the number of flights to African countries.

The European Union has closed its airspace to Russian planes since February 27, and at the end of August suspended the agreement with Moscow, which made it easier for Russians to obtain visas.

Russia’s European neighbors – Poland, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia – have banned most Russian citizens from crossing their borders.

Follow the latest events of the 252nd day of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HOTNEWS.RO.