KIEV, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian government on Wednesday backed a presidential proposal to put Russia on its list of countries with migration risks, local media reported.
According to the reports, the cabinet ordered the Foreign Ministry and the State Security Service to complete legal procedures to put Russia in the list by the end of this month.
Listing Russia as a "migration risk" country means Russian citizens would have to inform the Ukrainian authorities in advance of their intention to visit Ukraine, and Russian nationals would undergo enhanced checks at the Ukrainian border.
Until now, citizens of Ukraine and Russia are not required to have visas for crossing the common border.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko requested the cabinet to enlist Russia into countries with migration risks, and to introduce a biometric control of foreigners at the state border from Jan. 1 of next year.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has described Ukraine's plans to tighten border crossing as an attempt to build a new "iron curtain" to prevent exchanges between the two countries.
