Any advice for my Ukrainian friend currently stuck at SVO?

[ML]

How could she not know that things changed?!? Has she not watched any news or read any newspaper or looked at any social media website for the last six months?

If she is of Russian heritage, then she doesn't have to read or look at anything.  They are a superior people who know everything.

[roykirk]

How could she not know that things changed?!? Has she not watched any news or read any newspaper or looked at any social media website for the last six months?

Well, she obviously knew that Crimea was now part of Russia, but I guess she didn't consider the travel aspect of it.  But in her defense, I'm a voracious news reader myself and I don't recall any channel's talking head saying something like, "Now that Crimea is part of Russia, you people who are used to traveling there visa free are going to have some changes you need to be ready for."  She's one of those people who only watches or reads Russian news, and I imagine that's an aspect that very few would have interest in reporting on.  She definitely made a mistake, however, there's no denying that.  I think she's probably more embarrassed than anything. 

[JayH]

Quite honestly, I have no idea why going to Kyiv is going to help her circumstances.  Has no one read what people are posting?  They have closed the border between Krim and Ukraine.  No Trains back and forth and no car traffic.  How is someone supposed to get from Krim to Kyiv?

I am interested in hearing how being in Kyiv improves her ultimate goal.  (Please someone explain!)

Jon--my advice was based on the following--
--   she & child were stuck in airport
--   they had to go somewhere!!
--   go somewhere where they could sort the problem out( they could not leave airport at SVO)
--   Kiev would be welcoming and familiar
--  Closer to intended destination
--   Possibility that they may have been able to get to Simferopal  more easily

[AC]

If she is of Russian heritage, then she doesn't have to read or look at anything.  They are a superior people who know everything.

Bingo!  But now of course she's blaming the Russian government for her bad choice.  Going to Kiev is likely the best option as from my understanding it's much less to stay there as opposed to Moscow, and her son cannot stay in Moscow anyway as she foolishly did not get him a visa.

[JayH]

It reads like it is possible to enter ( with Russian visa) .

Re above reply--I was wondering if she can get child added to her Ukrainian passport--  and travel that way?  Another reason to go to Kiev!!


Украина перестала пропускать в Крым легковые автомобили
27.12.2014, 15:17 | «Газета.Ru»
Украина запретила проезд для легковых автомобилей через пункты пропуска «Армянск» и «Перекоп» на границе с Крымом, передает «Интерфакс».

Как сообщается, в связи с этим на границе начали образовываться очереди. Люди вынуждены покидать легковые транспортные средства и двигаться в сторону России пешком.

Руководство крымской таможни приняло совместно с пограничной службой ФСБ России решение выделить транспорт для перемещения граждан к пунктам пропуска на российской стороне границы.

Ukraine ceased to skip to the Crimea cars
12.27.2014, 15:17 |  "Times"
Ukraine bans travel for passenger cars through checkpoints "Armenian" and "Perekop" on the border with the Crimea , reports "Interfax" .

As reported in connection with these began to form at the boundary line. People are forced to leave the passenger vehicles and move towards Russia on foot.

Guide Crimean customs took together with the Border Service of Russia to allocate vehicles to move people to the checkpoints on the Russian side of the border.

Earlier, Ukraine has declared the termination of road transport in the Crimea from December 26 for security reasons.
http://www.gazeta.ru/auto/news/2014/12/27/n_6786373.shtml

[southernX]

roy,
yes she has made a mistake , shoot the poor girl now  how terrible to be human and make a mistake lol


clearly she cant stay in moscow at the airport nor can she  get her son with an american passport a russian visa once in russia , so she must move to somewhere

so id see her options as being below  in no particular order 

1 cancel and return to the usa ,

2 fly to the nearest country of visa free access for her and son where she can get a russian visa for the boy , once visa is obtained then return to moscow /crimea
ukraines , kiev would suit this , so might kharkiv being close to the ruski border, a same day visa would be probable to obtain , flights are not that expensive
if the train re opens then a train direct from kiev or karkhiv to simferopol would be first choice here

3 leave moscow and fly the same to kharkiv or kiev even odessa , book an apartment , get the family to come to see her there , as it may be easier for them to do so ?

so long as her budget isnt skin tight she will manage the change in plans ok , few days either way one would hope

keep us posted please

SX

[roykirk]

At the moment it sounds like she is in Kiev staying with friends and her parents are planning on coming to see them this week.  The next trip I'm sure she'll have a Russian visa lined up for her son.      Assuming she now qualifies for a Russian passport, what I'm going to recommend she does is what my wife did with our daughter for her trip to Novosibirsk this past summer.  That's to get Russian passport (if she's able) and to get her son put in her passport like we had done with our daughter.  That way he wouldn't need a visa to visit Crimea with mom.  But given how long ago she moved from Crimea, perhaps she can't even get a Russian passport at this point? 

[southernX]

roy,

to be honest mate , at present id be very wary about advising anyone to ''get a russian passport '' especially if it is only to visit on an iregular basis

much better to imo to just get a visa when you need it ,

as a russian citizen in russia /crimea, she and her son , your wife/daughter  etc could expect little effective help from any  outside countrys embassy or gov regardless of their other citizenship claims if something where to go wrong for them while there on vacation 

something to think about carefully imo

SX

[Misha]

roy,

to be honest mate , at present id be very wary about advising anyone to ''get a russian passport '' especially if it is only to visit on an iregular basis

much better to imo to just get a visa when you need it ,

as a russian citizen in russia /crimea, she and her son , your wife etc could expect little effective help from any  outside countrys embassy or gov regardless of their other citizenship claims

something to think about carefully imo

SX

Yes, notably a son who could be drafted were he to return at the wrong time at the wrong age...

[AC]

Yes, notably a son who could be drafted were he to return at the wrong time at the wrong age...

And find himself sent to E. Ukraine for a "vacation".  Very bad move.  Get the visa.

[AkMike]

Way back when visas were required for Ukraine, the airlines wouldn't let me board until they verified that the visa was correct and valid. I guess that they aren't bothering to check any more?

[jone]

Mike,

That isn't true.  Ultimately, the airline is responsible for entry permission and is required to return passengers rejected for invalid entry documents. 

On another note:  The Gazeta.ru article Jay referenced stated that Ukraine is allowing people who were booked for train traffic to Crimea to be allowed to travel on buses.  It was not specific as to how long these buses were to run. 

In addition, after reading the article in the native language, it would appear that people with cars are being asked to leave their cars on the Ukrainian side of the border and walk across, where Russian lorries are there to pick them up and take them to a Russian checkpoint.

While the Ukrainians claim this is for security purposes, there is speculation that this is retribution for all of the assets of Ukraine appropriated by Russia recently, including, now, the reassignment of properties to Russians that were formerly held by Ukrainians.

[roykirk]

And find himself sent to E. Ukraine for a "vacation".  Very bad move.  Get the visa.

Very good points about how it could make the kid eligible for the military draft requirement.  Having daughters that's something I don't naturally think about. 

[Shadow]

And find himself sent to E. Ukraine for a "vacation".  Very bad move.  Get the visa.

Considering the kid is 3, that would mean you expect the situation to continue for the next 15 years minimal.

[GregfromGa]

Jon--my advice was based on the following--
--   she & child were stuck in airport
--   they had to go somewhere!!
--   go somewhere where they could sort the problem out( they could not leave airport at SVO)
--   Kiev would be welcoming and familiar
--  Closer to intended destination
--   Possibility that they may have been able to get to Simferopal  more easily

Good overview as to why that would be the right move or she could always just call it a day and come back to The USA.

[Doll]

Then get the child a rF citizenship and then go

[Wayne]

I don't see how the child was allowed to enter Russian Federation with a USA passport and no Russian visa? The airline should have caught this!
 
The proper way to enter Crimea now would be for woman and child to get family visitation visas for Russia, which are valid for up to 90 days duration. Then fly to some Russian city and onward to Crimea.
 
I would not try to cross the border between Crimea and Ukraine right now.

[mendeleyev]

I am guessing that she anticipated a "window" of time, short of course, for the son to be considered "in transit" while en route to Crimea.

The Russian authorities have confused the issue on travel to Crimea unfortunately. If you look at statements immediately after the annexation, Russian authorities were (and still are) desperate for tourism to prop up a sinking local economy after the business and banking cycles had been seriously disrupted. Authorities communicated the idea that Crimea was open for business, especially to Russians, and hinted at ease of entry, although in typical Russian bureaucratic fashion did not bother to provide much in the way of details.

Not long after the annexation I called the local migration office in Sevastopol and asked for clarification. I claimed that two friends, one based in the USA and the other from the UK, wanted to visit Crimea. The scenario was to see if there would be any differences between the USA and/or a EU country with a history of visiting Russia. I asked the officer if a RF visa was required for these two imaginary friends to visit Crimea? "Of course," was the reply.

While true that Russian authorities have thoroughly confused the issue in their repeatedly blundering attempts to lure tourism back to Crimea, any good Russian citizen would also have to know the special status granted to the city of Sevastopol. Since the annexation it was declared to be a "Federal City" of which there are only three: Moscow, St Petersburg, and now Sevastopol. A federal city is similar to a self-governing city-state and thus while Sevastopol sits within the Crimea Federal District, it is both separate and above the region in terms of pecking order. Anyone who knows about such status would almost have to understand that a Russian visa would therefore be the norm.

[mendeleyev]

Misha and others are absolutely correct in noting that a RF passport for the son most certainly lines him up for potential military service via the compulsory draft. He could be forced to serve if entering the RF when at the time of draft age, or years later he could be detained for failing to serve when he was eligible.

[AC]

Misha and others are absolutely correct in noting that a RF passport for the son most certainly lines him up for potential military service via the compulsory draft. He could be forced to serve if entering the RF when at the time of draft age, or years later he could be detained for failing to serve when he was eligible.

This answers Shadows post.  As someone else said I would much rather be travelling in that region of the World with the backing of the US government embassy and agents in the area compared to the backing of the Russian Federation.  To each his own.

[JayH]

Update on access to Crimea from Ukraine--

POROSHENKO SAID THAT BY ROAD TO THE CRIMEA HAS BEEN RESTORED



President of Ukraine Poroshenko announced the unblocking of transport from the Crimea at cars.

He said this at a press conference in Kiev.

"There is no blockade Crimea. There are measures to protect Ukraine from terrorist threats. So far is unacceptable in terms of terrorist threats, without regard to trains and buses went quietly, transported, especially those who pose a threat to the state of Ukraine. We have developed mechanisms, how to establish an administrative review of vehicles. We have already decided to pass cars as they can be easily controlled, "- said Poroshenko.

"The level of intensity of controls over how the line collisions Lugansk and Donetsk regions and in line Isthmus (Crimea - Ed.), Should be strengthened, especially during the holidays. We have received information that there is a threat, and Ukraine will act accordingly, "- said the head of state.

Recall "UZ" from December 27 stopped sending trains to the Crimea. Also stopped and bus service to the peninsula.

In the National Security Council said that the movement in Crimea has been temporarily blocked because of the high likelihood of sabotage.

http://tvi.ua/new/2014/12/29/poroshenko_kazhe_scho_avtomobilne_spoluchennya_z_krymom_uzhe_vidnovleno

[Shadow]

This answers Shadows post.  As someone else said I would much rather be travelling in that region of the World with the backing of the US government embassy and agents in the area compared to the backing of the Russian Federation.  To each his own.

It does not answer my post at all.
By law it is possible to obtain a Russian passport through parents.
If a Russian citizen has dual citizenship and is NOT living in the Russian Federation, there is no military service required.
However should there be any doubt, at the time a person with dual citizenship turns 18, he or she has to confirm the choice for citizenship. That means the boy can now get a Russian passport and denouce citizenship in 15 years when he turns 18.
Until then he can travel freely.

Also my questin remains. As the child is 3 years old, do you expect the current situation to last for 15 years for him to get sent to the Donbass region?

[sleepycat]

Also my questin remains. As the child is 3 years old, do you expect the current situation to last for 15 years for him to get sent to the Donbass region?

If that mongoloid midget Putin is still breathing oxygen in 15 years time, then yeah probably.

[Doll]

I don't see how the child was allowed to enter Russian Federation with a USA passport and no Russian visa? The airline should have caught this!
 

correct
That's why i think the OP is scam

[Doll]

I feel really bad for her, but once the dust settles on this I plan to ask her, "WTH were you thinking?!"  When Russian invaded and annexed Crimea, she was overjoyed at the time and felt there were no possible downsides to the action.  When I tried to argue that there could be significant issues with traveling she refused to believe it (and her parents also can't travel here for the immediate future).  Now she's stuck at SVO and she's not saying very nice things about the Russian government the last few messages I've received.   

What does the Russian government have to do with her being that stupid!
Putin is to blame she lost her mind and did not think of her child?