Ukraine`s border officers have denied entry to Ukraine to another two Russian journalists who were going to cover the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, speaker of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Oleh Slobodyan posted on Facebook.
The reason for the entry ban was their visit to the occupied Crimea through illegal checkpoints.
”This morning the State Border Guard Service denied entry to Ukraine and issued a 3-year ban against two more Russian journalists who had violated the Ukrainian legislation and visited the temporarily occupied peninsula [Crimea] via temporarily closed checkpoints,” Slobodyan wrote.
The State Border Guard Service claims that the availability of accreditation for Eurovision does not grant the right to cross the border.
”In taking decisions the State Border Guard Service together with the SBU Security Service and the National Police are guided solely by the interests and legislation of Ukraine,” he added.
Earlier, the border officers denied entry to Ukraine to photojournalist of Russian-state multimedia conglomerate Rossiya Segodnya Ramil Sitdikov accredited to Eurovision.
Ukrainian MP, advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Anton Gerashchenko claimed earlier that none of those Russian journalists who had previously illegally visited Crimea would be allowed to enter Ukraine.
