A number of citizens of the Russian Federation were not allowed to enter the Republic of Moldova. According to the Border Police, the Russian citizens didn’t meet the conditions for being authorized to cross the border as they could not justify the goal of their visit. President Igor Dodon criticized the incident, describing it as a new provocation aimed at thwarting the Head of State in his efforts to restore the Moldovan-Russian relations, IPN reports.

“I offer my sincere apologies to all the guests of our country who are subject to such treatment in our airport,” Igor Dodon wrote on his Facebook page.

Head of the Border Police’s press service Raisa Novitski has told IPN that all the persons who cross the state border are examined, regardless of their social status, age category, nationality or sex.

The press reported that the Russian citizens who were banned from entering Moldova included artists and a Russian MP.