On June 11th, Ukraine triumphantly and pompously celebrated the introduction of visa-free travel to European Union countries. This event was presented by the Kiev government as, without exaggeration, the opening of a new historic era in the country's history and a "farewell" to the Soviet legacy. Is this really so? And what will visa-free travel give the ordinary citizen of Ukraine?
Let us briefly review the content of the document in question. The visa-free regime allows Ukrainian citizens to stay in EU member states (excluding the UK and Ireland) for up to 90 days within a 180-day period. In order to stay in the EU for a longer period of time, Ukrainians still need to apply for visas. Moreover,
the visa-free regime does not entail the right to reside or be employed in the European Union. Upon entering the Schengen Area, Ukrainian citizens need to have documents indicating the purposes of their trip, their place of residence, sufficient financial resources for the period of stay, and a proven intention to return to their place of permanent residence (i.e., a return ticket). Also necessary is a medical insurance policy.
The first few days of "visa-free" have already demonstrated the attractiveness of this opportunity in the eyes of ordinary Ukrainian citizens, the greatest demand being in the direction of Poland. Ukrainian media have published the statistics of the Polish border guard service, according to which around 10,000 Ukrainian citizens had entered Poland within only a few days of "visa-free". As is becoming well known, Poland is the single most attractive destination for Ukrainian migrant workers in the EU, so these numbers should be no surprise.
One can confidently predict that the number of Ukrainian migrant workers coming to Poland, and subsequently other EU countries, will only rise.
Comment: In the long run, trying to force the rest of society to adhere to gender non-conformity politics will only harm the country and prevent healthy integration of those on the fringes who legitimately struggle with their identity. Also, what kind of backlash will occur when people start to catch on to what's happening? See also: