Russia has included Bosnia and Herzegovina among 20 countries whose citizens can enter the country on regular flights without a visa, the Russian Embassy in Sarajevo said on its website on Wednesday.

Based on a special Russian government decision of 14 April, citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina can enter Russia by air without a visa and stay for up to 30 days, provided they come from any of the countries with which Russia has renewed direct flights.

Never since the end of the 1992-1995 war has Bosnia and Herzegovina had direct flights to any of Russia's cities, yet it is among the few European countries that Russia has not declared hostile after it came under sanctions over its military invasion of Ukraine.

According to the Russian Embassy website, citizens of Montenegro, Serbia and countries such as Cuba, Thailand, Mozambique and Turkey can also enter Russia without a visa and stay for a maximum of 30 days.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has not imposed sanctions on Russia because of the refusal by the Serb member of the state presidency, Milorad Dodik, to support such action. Dodik has said he will never do that because he regards Russian President Vladimir Putin as “a great statesman of a great country and a powerful person who has always been fair.”

On the other hand, following instructions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the country's ambassadors to the United Nations and the Council of Europe voted in favour of Russia's expulsion from the two organisations.