The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine will stop allowing journalists and artists to travel abroad

The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine will stop allowing journalists and cultural figures to travel abroad starting March 3.

This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications.

The change was introduced because many individuals who leave the country do not return.

“Due to gaps in national legislation, there have been numerous cases where individuals who received permission from the State Border Guard Service for temporary travel abroad based on a letter of assistance from the Ministry of Culture did not return to Ukraine within the specified timeframe,” the statement reads.

The ministry stated that it had recognized this issue since the end of 2022 and had requested the Cabinet of Ministers to address it by amending its resolution, but no action was taken.

“In light of this, from March 3, 2025, and until this issue is resolved at the legislative level, the ministry is suspending the issuance of letters of assistance to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine for the departure of individuals in this category beyond the state border,” the Ministry of Culture stated.

It is worth noting that the OpenDataBot monitoring service, citing data from the State Border Guard Service, reported that in 2024, the number of Ukrainians who did not return from abroad tripled compared to 2023.