Representatives of the Russian OSCE have been denied a UK visa due to restrictions

Signature at OSCE Headquarters in Vienna, Austria

(Reuters) – Members of the Russian delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have been denied visas to attend a session in the United Kingdom next month.

Russia’s top legislator said on Wednesday that members of Russia’s delegation had not been issued British visas and would not be able to attend the OSCE’s annual parliamentary meeting in Birmingham in July.

The British embassy in Moscow has said that Russia’s OSCE representatives have been barred from entering the UK under sanctions imposed by London in retaliation for Russia’s occupation of Ukraine.

“All members of the Russian delegation are subject to sanctions in the UK for destabilizing Ukraine and undermining Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty or independence,” the embassy said in a statement on Wednesday.

“These restrictions restrict travel to the UK, among other things.”

OSCE is a Cold War-era multinational organization designed to prevent and monitor conflicts in Europe. Its Parliamentary Annual Meeting is held in the English city of Birmingham from 2 to 6 July.

The British Home Office has previously said that visa applications from Ukrainians are a priority and that “there are no restrictions on Russian citizens working in the UK on long-term work visas.”

(Reuters report)