From now on, foreign journalists who are accredited during martial law may not have to worry about renewing their residence permits in Ukraine. They will not be subject to restrictions on the temporary stay of foreigners and stateless persons. The Government establishes such rules for the period of martial law and within 30 days after its abolition or termination.
The MCIP initiated such a decision by the Government to remove bureaucratic obstacles for journalists who tell the world the truth about the war. After all, comprehensive and objective coverage of events in Ukraine is a condition for effective counteraction to Russian propaganda, which has reached unprecedented proportions.
"Russia's military aggression in Ukraine has shaken the entire civilized world. The interest in foreign media in our country is insane. We are most interested in making people in all parts of the world aware of the war crimes of the Russian military and political leadership and the military. But the main thing is about the extraordinary courage, bravery, and resilience of the Ukrainian people in the fight against the aggressor. Thanks to the objective media and intensified struggle on our information front, we already have a number of decisions in favor of Ukraine on the world stage. Winning the battle on the information front will help us defeat the aggressor," said Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.
The State Border Guard Service Administration and the State Migration Service will inform the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine about the accredited media representatives.
It will be recalled that according to Part 11 of Article 4 of the Law of Ukraine “On the Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Personsâ€, foreigners and stateless persons who arrived in Ukraine to work as a correspondent or representative of foreign media and received a temporary residence permit are considered on legal grounds are on the territory of Ukraine for the period of work in Ukraine.
In addition, as a general rule, foreigners and stateless persons who have legally arrived in Ukraine may temporarily stay on its territory:
- during the permit issued by the visa within the validity period of the visa in case of entry of stateless persons or foreigners who are citizens of the countries with the visa procedure of entry, unless otherwise specified by international treaties of Ukraine;
- not more than 90 days within 180 days in case of entry of foreigners who are citizens of countries with visa-free entry, unless otherwise specified by international treaties of Ukraine;
- for the visa's validity period, but not more than 90 days within 180 days in case of entry on a visa issued before September 11, 2011.
Therefore, the government's decision will help continue to cover the war in Ukraine by foreign journalists.
