The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has said that in 2013 Russia tightened penalties for foreigners and stateless persons who violate its immigration regime and the rules of stay of foreigners in Russia, the ministry's information policy department reported on Tuesday.

A ban on the entry of foreigners to Russia is one of the measures that are extensively used by the Russian side to the violators of the immigration regime.

In order to determine the reasons for the imposition and the duration of the ban, citizens who have been denied entry to Russia can either personally or through a legal representative send a query to the Russian Federal Migration Service (107078, Moscow, 4 Boyarsky Lane) on the reasons and duration of the ban on entering the country, or send an electronic appeal by completing a relevant form on the official Web site of the institution www.fms.gov.ru in the section "Applications of Citizens."

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that the decision to ban entry to Russia can be appealed against in court.

The ministry again drew the attention of Ukrainian citizens who are planning their trips abroad or stay abroad to the need to respect the laws of the host country.

The ministry said that it was working out measures with Russia to allow the unhindered realization of the legitimate rights and interests of Ukrainian citizens when crossing the Russian-Ukrainian border.