Germany to give visas to Russian journalists to ease exile work

Germany  plans to give long-term visas to Russian journalists, as well as political dissidents, in an attempt to make it easier for them to work in exile.

Germany’s new visa measures come at a time of many Russian journalists and dissidents fleeing the country as it becomes increasingly harder for them to carry out their professions, as reported by France24.

Maxim Kurnikov and Masha Mayers, who ran the Russian radio station “Echo of Moscow”, have moved to Berlin after a Kremlin ban caused by their reporting of the war in Ukraine.

“We can’t even have a bank account. We can’t make a company, because we have no opportunity to do it and that’s why it is very slow, but we hope that when we get the other visa it will be easier,” explained Kurnikov.

Germany has an estimated 70 Russian journalists set to receive the new visas that will hopefully allow for them to carry on with their journalistic work.

Russian nationals in Germany currently only receive short-term Schengen visas, which means they are not allowed to work in Germany officially. This is not the case with Ukrainian refugees.

Sergey Lagodinsky a European Parliament MP commented on the visas stating:

“All these people represent the face of a better, more democratic Russia. And it’s a Russia we want to contribute, to build for the future.”

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