Ukrainians celebrate first day of visa-free EU travel

     Ukrainians are celebrating the first day of visa-free access to the European Union, with hundreds crossing the border as President Petro Poroshenko proclaimed a dramatic “breakaway” from Moscow.

   According to reports, today’s move is symbolic for Kiev, where a pro-EU revolt in 2014 toppled the previous Russia-backed government and was followed by Moscow’s annexation of the Crimea peninsula sparking a protracted ongoing conflict with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
   Only those with biometric passports containing a microchip with personal data, including fingerprints can take advantage of the visa-free travel for the time being.
    President  Poroshenko yesterdayaddressed a crowd in Kiev’s European Square saying the new travel regime symbolizes a final breakaway of their state from the Russian empire and calling the future a different historical era.