Drivers Threaten to Cause Traffic Collapse, Head to Russian Embassy

Today, the third protest of freight transport drivers took place near the Government building within the last week. They are demanding negotiations with the Russian Federation to change the legislative conditions which stipulate that foreign nationals can stay in Russia for up to 90 days within a year, reduced from the previous 180 days.

The drivers were invited for a meeting with a government official, but they were dissatisfied with the outcome. They are now heading to the Russian embassy, demanding that the ambassador contact the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, threatening that they will cause a traffic collapse on Armenian roads with their trucks if their demands are not met by tomorrow morning.

It is worth noting that on September 10, the regulation under Article 115 of the Russian Federal Law tightened the rules, which state that foreign citizens can stay in Russia for up to 90 days a year rather than 180 days. According to the freight drivers, this clause should not apply to them and passenger transport drivers, as only those who have been in the country for 90 days or more can remain near the 'Verin Lars' checkpoint.