Travelore News: Norway To Block Entry For Most Russian Tourists, Moscow Says It Will Respond

Norway will further curb access for Russian tourist travellers due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, blocking almost all entry from May 29, the Nordic country's justice ministry said on Thursday.

Russia called the decision "purely discriminatory" and said it would respond.

Norway, a NATO member that shares a border with Russia in the Arctic measuring almost 200 km (124 miles), first imposed restrictions on Russian tourist visas in 2022, shortly after Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"The decision to tighten the entry rules is in line with the Norwegian approach of standing by allies and partners in reaction to Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine," Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl said in a statement.

Any Russian citizens whose purpose is tourism and other non-essential travel will be turned back at the border. Exceptions may be granted in cases such as visits to close family residing in Norway, the ministry said in a statement.
>br />"The change implies that the police can refuse the entry of Russian citizens who are covered by the instruction," it said.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters such moves "cannot go unanswered".

He added: "Of course, the decision is purely discriminatory. We do not accept such decisions. We regret that the Norwegian leadership has chosen this way of worsening our bilateral relations, which have already been of poor quality recently, and not on our initiative."

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia did not intend to bar entry to Norwegian citizens. "But this does not mean that retaliatory measures won't be taken. They will be," she told reporters.

Reporting by Terje Solsvik; editing by Mark Heinrich, Reuters

Travelore News: Russia Detains Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich On Suspicion Of Spying

A Moscow court ruled that a U.S. journalist for the Wall Street Journal should be detained for nearly two months on suspicion of spying, the most serious move against a foreign journalist since Russia invaded Ukraine and one quickly condemned by Washington.

Russia's FSB security service said on Thursday it had opened a criminal case against U.S. national Evan Gershkovich on suspicion of espionage. The Kremlin said he had been "caught red-handed."

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration said it was deeply concerned and that officials had been in touch with Gershkovich's employer and family.

"In the strongest possible terms, we condemn the Kremlin’s continued attempts to intimidate, repress, and punish journalists and civil society voices," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The case will worsen already dire relations between Russia and the United States, which is Ukraine's biggest military backer and has imposed sanctions on Moscow to try to persuade it to end its invasion of Ukraine.

"The targeting of American citizens by the Russian government is unacceptable. We condemn the detention of Mr. Gershkovich in the strongest terms," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

The administration strongly urged Americans to heed its warning to avoid travel to Russia.

ESPIONAGE CHARGES

Gershkovich told the Russian court he was not guilty. His employer said the case against him, believed to be the first criminal case for espionage against a foreign journalist in post-Soviet Russia, was based on a false allegation.

Espionage under Russian law can be punishable by up to 20 years in jail.

The FSB accused Gershkovich, 31, of gathering information classified as a state secret about a military factory. It did not name the factory nor say where it was, but said it had detained the journalist in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg as he sought to procure secret information.

It did not provide documentary or video evidence of his guilt.

"It has been established that E. Gershkovich, acting on an assignment from the American side, was gathering information classified as a state secret about the activity of one of the enterprises of Russia's military-industrial complex," the FSB said.

The Wall Street Journal said in a statement it was "deeply concerned" for Gershkovich's safety, seeks his immediate release and "vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB."

Gershkovich is the highest profile American arrested by Russia since basketball star Brittney Griner, who was caught arriving in Moscow with cannabis oil a week before the invasion of Ukraine and freed in a prisoner swap 10 months later.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it was not the first time a foreign journalism role had been used as a cover and that Gershkovich's activities were "not related to journalism."

Kremlin watchers said the case recalled that of U.S. journalist Nicholas Daniloff, who was detained and accused of spying by the Soviet Union in 1986 before being released and sent home without charge. Daniloff said he had been framed.

TOUGHENED CENSORSHIP LAWS

A Reuters reporter saw Gershkovich, dressed in a yellow coat, being led out of the Moscow court building after his hearing and placed in a black van. He is expected to be held in the capital's Lefortovo prison, an FSB pre-trial detention facility.

The son of Soviet Jewish emigres, Gershkovich has covered Russia since 2017. He joined the Journal's Moscow bureau in January 2022 and recently had primarily covered Russian politics and the conflict in Ukraine.

Yaroslav Shirshikov, a political expert in Yekaterinburg, told Reuters he was interviewed by Gershkovich two weeks ago and was due to meet him again on Thursday.

He said Gershkovich had asked about local attitudes towards the Wagner mercenary group, which is fighting in Ukraine, and told him he planned to travel to Nizhny Tagil, a city that is home to a big tank factory, to seek residents' views on the Ukraine conflict.

Shirshikov said Gershkovich had not mentioned wanting information about a military factory and was not "an enemy of Russia."

Russia has tightened censorship laws since it sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022 in what it called a "special military operation," broadening the definition of what constitutes a state secret and bringing in jail terms for people deemed to have "discredited" the military.

"The problem is that recently updated Russian legislation and the FSB's interpretation of espionage today allow for the imprisonment of anyone who is simply interested in military affairs," said Tatiana Stanovaya, a Kremlin watcher and founder of the R.Politik political analysis firm.

She said it appeared Russia had taken Gershkovich "hostage" for a possible future prisoner swap.

Prominent Russians currently imprisoned in the United States include Roman Seleznev, the son of a Russian lawmaker arrested for online credit card fraud, and wealthy businessman Vladislav Klyushin, convicted of hacking U.S. computer networks to get information for stock trades.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said it was too early to talk of a possible exchange.

Other foreign journalists covering Russia expressed support for Gershkovich online, saying he was a professional reporter, not a spy.

Reporting by Andrew Osborn and Felix Light; Additional reporting by Filipp Lebedev; Writing by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Angus MacSwan, Mark Heinrich and Cynthia Osterman

Russia’s Daily COVID-19 Deaths Top 1,000 For First Time

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s daily death toll from COVID-19 has exceeded 1,000 for the first time as the country faces a sustained wave of rising infections.

The national coronavirus task force on Saturday reported 1,002 deaths in the previous day, up from 999 on Friday, along with 33,208 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, more than 1,000 higher than the day before.

Russian authorities have tried to speed up the pace of vaccinations with lotteries, bonuses and other incentives, but widespread vaccine skepticism and conflicting signals from officials stymied the efforts. The government said this week that about 43 million Russians, or about 29% of the country’s nearly 146 million people, are fully vaccinated.

Despite the mounting toll, the Kremlin has ruled out a new nationwide lockdown like the one early on in the pandemic that badly hurt the economy, eroding President Vladimir Putin’s popularity. Instead, it has delegated the power to enforce coronavirus restrictions to regional authorities.

Some of Russia’s 85 regions have restricted attendance at large public events and limited access to theaters, restaurants and other venues. However, daily life is going on largely as normal in Moscow, St. Petersburg and many other Russian cities.

Health Minister Mikhail Murashko acknowledged this week that medical facilities have come under growing strains and said authorities have offered retired medics who have gotten vaccinated the option of returning to work.

Coronavirus Deaths In Russia Surpass 900 A Day For 1st Time

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s daily coronavirus death toll surpassed 900 on Wednesday for the first time in the pandemic, a record that comes amid the country’s low vaccination rate and the government’s reluctance to impose tough restrictions to control new cases.

’s state coronavirus task force reported 929 new deaths on Wednesday, the fourth time this month that daily COVID-19 deaths have reached record highs. The previous record, of 895 deaths, was registered Tuesday. Russia already has Europe’s highest death toll in the pandemic at over 212,000 people, but some official data suggests that is an undercount.

The task force also reported 25,133 new confirmed cases Wednesday.

The rise in infections and deaths began in late September. The Kremlin has blamed it on too few Russians getting vaccinated. As of Tuesday, almost 33% of Russia’s 146 million people had received at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine, and 29% were fully vaccinated.

Despite the surge, government officials rejected the idea of imposing a lockdown and said regional authorities would take steps to stem the spread of the virus.

A number of Russian regions have limited attendance at large public events and restricted access to theaters, restaurants and other places to people who have been vaccinated, recently recovered from COVID-19 or tested negative in the previous 72 hours.

In some regions, Russia’s vast yet severely underfunded health care system has started to show signs of being overwhelmed by the outbreak.

Russian media have reported long lines of ambulances once again forming in front of hospitals in St. Petersburg. One desperate ambulance crew in the city of Vladimir, 180 kilometers (110 miles) east of Moscow, reportedly drove a COVID-19 patient to a local government building after failing to find a hospital bed for her.

On Tuesday, the presidential envoy in the Ural Mountains district — a part of central Russia that encompasses six regions — said 95% of the hospital beds for COVID-19 patients there have been filled.

“The situation is very dire,” Vladimir Yakushev was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

Asked by reporters if the Kremlin will offer support to regions if they impose local lockdowns to tackle the surge of infections, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged those authorities to think twice. He said regional authorities have the power to decide which measures to introduce but “declaring some kind of lockdown is an absolutely undesirable scenario for any region.”

Overall, Russia’s coronavirus task force has reported over 7.6 million confirmed cases and more than 212,000 deaths. However, reports by Russia’s state statistical service Rosstat that tally coronavirus-linked deaths retroactively reveal much higher mortality numbers.

Travelore News: Ukraine Issues Russia Travel Warning

KIEV, Ukraine – Citizens of Ukraine were warned on Wednesday against traveling to Russia, where they were at risk following an increase in harassment and detentions of Ukrainians by Russian security services.

The move is further testimony to the breakdown in relations between the one-time allies in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in early 2014 and support for pro-Russian separatists in the ensuing conflict in eastern Ukraine.

“On the territory of the aggressor-state, the number of unjustified detentions of our citizens has increased,” the Ukrainian foreign ministry said in an online statement.

“Russian law enforcement bodies treat Ukrainians roughly, using unacceptable methods of physical and psychological pressure, torture and other acts,” it said, warning citizens against traveling to or through Russian territory.

On Monday a Ukrainian journalist was arrested by Russia’s FSB security service and accused of gathering secret information about Russian defense and security bodies – charges Ukrainian authorities said were trumped up.

The arrest has prompted Ukrainian authorities to consider introducing visa requirements for Russian citizens on the expectation that Russia will tighten rules for Ukrainians wishing to travel to Russia.

“We have to understand that unfortunately Russian security services will quickly adjust to a visa regime. We must not make political gestures, but truly deal with Russia as an aggressor,” Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin told journalists on Wednesday.

Traveling between Ukraine and Russia had already become more complicated since the introduction of tit-for-tat direct flight bans in October 2015.

Travelore News: Russian Travel Ban For EU Citizens In Response To Sanctions

Moscow compiled a list of EU citizens banned from entering Russia in response to the European Union’s sanctions campaign, a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

The source confirmed reports in several foreign media that a list of European politicians, diplomats and military experts was sent to the embassies of EU member states.

"The answer to the demands of some European countries to explain why these persons were included in the list of those who are banned from entering Russia is simple — it was done in response to a sanctions campaign unleashed against Russia by some EU member states, led by Germany," the source told journalists.

Russia Retaliates to EU Sanctions With Blacklist of 89 Officials
He added that there is a similar list consisting of US citizens, but Washington did not ask to make it public.

According to media reports, the list comprises 89 EU citizens, 18 of which have Polish citizenship, while nine are from the United Kingdom. Sweden, Estonia, Germany as well as Lithuania, Latvia and Romania also have at least five of their nationals each mentioned in the list.

Earlier in the day, the EU Delegation to Russia's spokesman confirmed authenticity of the list.

The European Union and the United States have imposed sanctions against several sectors of the Russian economy and high-profile officials, including travelling bans, citing Moscow’s alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict.

The Russian government has consistently denied involvement in Ukraine’s internal affairs.