Latest news with #Ozerov
United News of India
27-05-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Russia hopes Moldova won't tear down military burials
Moscow/Chisinau, May 26 (UNI) Amid rising bilateral tensions with Moldova, Russia's Ambassador to Chisinau, Oleg Ozerov, has expressed hope that Moldova's authorities won't go down the "barbaric path" of tearing down monuments, such as military burials, akin to the actions seen in the Baltic states and Ukraine, "We sincerely hope that Moldovan authorities will not take the barbaric path of fighting against monuments, as seen in the Baltic states and Ukraine, where not just monuments but gravestones are demolished, and the graves of Red Army soldiers are desecrated. "This raises questions about morality and respect for the memory of own ancestors… These are your graves, and it is your duty to protect them. If you fail to do so, this is not a question to Russia but for your moral integrity," Ozerov told Sputnik. The ambassador added that Russia firmly advocates for the protection of military burials, especially those of people who died defending Moldova's and the Soviet Union's freedom and independence. In recent years, Moldova has repeatedly attempted to restrict the World War Two Victory Day celebrations. In 2023, the government replaced May 9 Victory Day with 'Europe Day'. Despite this, thousands of citizens celebrate Victory Day on May 9. On May 17, the leader of Moldova's Victory Coordination Committee, Alexei Petrovich, said that Moldovan authorities have been preparing for years to destroy World War Two memorials by excluding them from the registry of protected sites. However, the updated registry has yet to be officially approved. Relations between Russia and Moldova began to deteriorate after President Maia Sandu, who adheres to a pro-European policy, came to power in the republic at the end of 2020. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moldova, under the current authorities, was striving to become an unfriendly country for Russia. UNI/SPUTNIK ANV RN
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Only six African countries enjoy visa-free entry to Russia, not all of them
'The West is in PANICK as Russia announces visa-free for all African countries (sic),' reads a text overlay on a TikTok video posted on March 13, 2025. Shared more than 11,000 times, the video's voice-over claims 'Africans will easily move and do business with Russia', adding that 'they [Africans] will find investment opportunities and even decide to live in Russia, unlike the West which makes this so hard (sic)'. The voice-over refers to a 'recent statement' from Moscow diplomat Oleg Ozerov who is quoted as saying that 'Russia has established visa-free arrangements with six African nations and is actively pursuing similar agreements with other countries on the continent'. Ozerov is identified as the ambassador-at-large of the Russian foreign ministry and head of the secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum. One user wrote, 'Nigerians, please don't mess this up for us,' while another said, 'Time to move to Russia.' The account has more than 54,000 followers and published a similar claim on March 25, 2025. Russia has been expanding its influence in Africa in recent years, offering security support to the region's poor countries and kindling anti-Western sentiment (archived here). As of March 2025, however, agreements exist with only a handful of African countries whose citizens can enter Russia without a visa. Using keyword searches, AFP Fact Check could not find any recent statement from the Russian government announcing visa-free entry for all African countries. According to the Russian Consular information portal, only six African countries — out of 54 — have visa-free entry (archived here). The six countries are Namibia, South Africa, Mauritius, Cape Verde, Botswana and Seychelles. While Namibians and South Africans can stay in Russia for three months without a visa, people from Mauritius and Cape Verde can only stay for two months and those from Botswana and Seychelles can only stay one month. The comments attributed to Ozerov in the video are correct, but he made them in September 2023 when he told Russian News Agency Tass that Moscow was working on exempting all African countries from visa requirements (archived here). "We have visa-free agreements with six countries, and there is certainly ongoing work with other states,' Ozerov was quoted as saying. He added that how fast such agreements are concluded is 'a matter of negotiation'. Since Ozerov's remarks in 2023, there has been no update on progress from the Russian government. Ozerov's role has also changed: he was the head of the secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum until September 2024 and is now Russian ambassador to Moldova (archived here). Meanwhile, in December 2023, Russia's foreign ministry added 11 new countries to the list of states whose citizens can obtain a single electronic visa (archived here). Three are African nations: Kenya, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe. The electronic visa allows citizens of these countries to stay for 16 days on a single entry.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Only six African countries enjoy visa-free entry to Russia, not all of them
'The West is in PANICK as Russia announces visa-free for all African countries (sic),' reads a text overlay on a TikTok video posted on March 13, 2025. Shared more than 11,000 times, the video's voice-over claims 'Africans will easily move and do business with Russia', adding that 'they [Africans] will find investment opportunities and even decide to live in Russia, unlike the West which makes this so hard (sic)'. The voice-over refers to a 'recent statement' from Moscow diplomat Oleg Ozerov who is quoted as saying that 'Russia has established visa-free arrangements with six African nations and is actively pursuing similar agreements with other countries on the continent'. Ozerov is identified as the ambassador-at-large of the Russian foreign ministry and head of the secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum. One user wrote, 'Nigerians, please don't mess this up for us,' while another said, 'Time to move to Russia.' The account has more than 54,000 followers and published a similar claim on March 25, 2025. Russia has been expanding its influence in Africa in recent years, offering security support to the region's poor countries and kindling anti-Western sentiment (archived here). As of March 2025, however, agreements exist with only a handful of African countries whose citizens can enter Russia without a visa. Using keyword searches, AFP Fact Check could not find any recent statement from the Russian government announcing visa-free entry for all African countries. According to the Russian Consular information portal, only six African countries — out of 54 — have visa-free entry (archived here). The six countries are Namibia, South Africa, Mauritius, Cape Verde, Botswana and Seychelles. While Namibians and South Africans can stay in Russia for three months without a visa, people from Mauritius and Cape Verde can only stay for two months and those from Botswana and Seychelles can only stay one month. The comments attributed to Ozerov in the video are correct, but he made them in September 2023 when he told Russian News Agency Tass that Moscow was working on exempting all African countries from visa requirements (archived here). "We have visa-free agreements with six countries, and there is certainly ongoing work with other states,' Ozerov was quoted as saying. He added that how fast such agreements are concluded is 'a matter of negotiation'. Since Ozerov's remarks in 2023, there has been no update on progress from the Russian government. Ozerov's role has also changed: he was the head of the secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum until September 2024 and is now Russian ambassador to Moldova (archived here). Meanwhile, in December 2023, Russia's foreign ministry added 11 new countries to the list of states whose citizens can obtain a single electronic visa (archived here). Three are African nations: Kenya, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe. The electronic visa allows citizens of these countries to stay for 16 days on a single entry.
