Cultural figures will be allowed to travel abroad again
Ukraine's Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications has announced a temporary halt on issuing travel permits for military-aged cultural and media workers starting March 3, 2025. This measure is in response to numerous violations, particularly the failure of some individuals to return to Ukraine after traveling abroad.
The Ministry is currently formalizing procedures to prevent future misuse of cultural diplomacy purposes. Necessary steps are being taken to ensure the decision is finalized promptly. The Ministry has proposed amendments to a 1995 Cabinet resolution regarding border crossing, which are currently under review.
The proposed changes aim to include a list of documents required for issuing travel support letters for men working in culture, information security, strategic communications, and audiovisual media. The ability to travel abroad will resume immediately after the approval of these amendments.
Among other things, the package of supporting documents for temporary travel abroad must include confirmation of the purpose and conditions of the trip.
"The Ministry is interested in resolving this issue as soon as possible so that artists and media professionals can once again participate in international events in support of Ukraine and convey the truth about the events in our country," the explanation reads.
Until now, the Ministry only issued support letters for travel, with the final border-crossing decision made by the State Border Guard Service.
One of the conditions for receiving such a letter is to return to Ukraine after completing their professional activities abroad. The Ministry of Culture noted that they are facilitating the investigation of possible violations of the law by men who have not returned to Ukraine.
The Ministry of Culture also noted that the statement by Dmytro Zolotukhin, Advisor to the Minister of Culture on Strategic Communications and International Cooperation, about the alleged 500 men who fled Ukraine over the past year is not the official position of the Ministry.
"Dmytro Zolotukhin's comment is not the official position of the Ministry and contains personal interpretations. The MCSC will inform about further steps after the adoption of new border crossing rules," the ministry emphasized.
This development follows an October 2024 report that one in five cultural figures who traveled abroad did not return.
Additionally, on February 26, the Cabinet restricted the travel of male volunteers transporting humanitarian aid.
