Washington, April 6 (FN Agency) The closing of airspace amid Russian invasion of Ukraine and the opening of borders for Ukrainian refugees has influenced the global travel freedoms, according to latest data complied on the world’s most travel-friendly passports. Since February 24, the start of Russian invasion of Ukraine, many countries have either amended their entry policies or dropped the visa requirements for Ukraine passport holders.
While the European Union, the US and Canada have banned all Russian airlines, some have stopped issuing visas to Russian citizens. CNN quoted a report by Henley & Partners released on Tuesday as stating that these measures “effectively condemning the Russian passport to junk status throughout much of the developed world”. It said that though Russia’s rank in the list did not have a dramatic impact but it will change in coming months. In the list for the second quarter of 2022, Ukraine has risen one place and is now ranked 34th on the index and its nationals can now travel to 192 destinations visa-free (or visa-on-arrival). Russia has dropped four places to 49th, with a score of 117 — a position expected to worsen as visa suspensions and sanctions are formalised, CNN reported. The latest change has indicated the “war’s profound and perhaps irreversible impact on freedom of movement”, the report said.