The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly recommends Ukrainian citizens to refrain from traveling to the Russian Federation to attend the final tournament of the FIFA World Cup, due to be held from June 14 to July 15, 2018.
The stay of Ukrainian citizens in the Russian Federation poses serious risks to their personal safety. The Russian law enforcement and punitive agencies resort to detentions and fabricated charges of espionage or terrorist activities, as well as to other provocative actions against Ukrainians. In breach of its obligations under the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, Russia resorts to the shameful practice of restricting or denying access for consuls and lawyers to detained Ukrainian citizens. There are limited capacities so far to provide Ukrainian citizens with consular protection in the territory of the aggressor state.
Anti-Ukrainian sentiments, fueled by the Kremlin’s propaganda, serves as an additional risk factor for Ukrainian citizens in the Russian Federation. Any public affiliation with Ukraine could result in targeted attack by Russian fan groups, as most of them do not conceal their hostility towards Ukrainians.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has also urged foreign partners to boycott the 2018 FIFA World Cup final tournament in the Russian Federation at the political level. We consider the refusal to send official delegations to Russia to be a powerful message of international solidarity and zero tolerance to Russia’s aggressive stance and its crimes against human rights. It will also testify to the effectiveness of our commitments to respect norms and the principles of international law.
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We recommend those Ukrainian citizens, who are compelled to travel to Russia and face a situation requiring an immediate consular response, to urgently apply to:
Embassy of Ukraine in the Russian Federation by phone numbers: +7 (495) 629-19-88, 629-34-22, 629-28-04, 629-69-22, 629-42-44, 629-14-57, hotline +7 (919) 768 77 96 or by e-mail: [email protected];
Consulate General of Ukraine in Rostov-on-Don by phone numbers: +7 (863) 262 57 89, 227 05 51, 227 05 49, hotline +7 (918) 587 99 93 or by e-mail: [email protected];
Consulate General of Ukraine in St. Petersburg by phone number: +7 (812) 331 51 66, hotline +7 (921) 304 05 72 or by e-mail: [email protected];
Consulate of Ukraine in Yekaterinburg by phone numbers: +7 (343) 282-92-10, 282-92-14, hotline +7 (953) 000 02 07 or by e-mail: [email protected];
Consulate of Ukraine in Novosibirsk by phone numbers: +7 (383) 319 00 16, 319 00 66, hotline +7 (913) 379 12 93 or by e-mail: [email protected].