The decision of the Ukrainian authorities not to allow Russian citizens to the Embassy and the General Consulate of the Russian Federation on the day of the presidential elections caused sharp criticism of the Russian Foreign Ministry. "It seems that the Ukrainian leadership that came four years ago as a result of the coup d'etat,. in impotent rage decided to recoup on ordinary Russian citizens who are in Ukraine, "- noted in the commentary of the diplomatic mission. The words that the decision was caused by concern for the security of Russian institutions were called in the Foreign Ministry "pure hypocrisy". Ukraine by its actions violates human rights, added to the ministry and stressed that Moscow has never prevented Ukrainian citizens from staying in Russia from voting, including the head of state and the Verkhovna Rada. "There is an open intervention in the purely internal affairs of the Russian Federation, leading to an escalation of tension in already very dysfunctional bilateral relations," the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The ministry expects that Ukraine's position will receive a principled assessment on the part of international organizations. On Friday, March 16, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine said that Russians will not be allowed into the diplomatic missions of the Russian Federation to participate in presidential elections. The decision to ban the elections was made due to the fact that the head of the Russian state will be elected in Crimea, which Kiev still considers part of Ukraine.