Professional photographers are now welcome on Red Square.
The Federal Guard Service on Monday lifted a ban preventing professional photographers from snapping pictures on Red Square and inside the grounds of the Kremlin, Ekho Moskvy radio reported.
Only amateur photographers previously had been allowed to shoot on the square and within the Kremlin walls.
The Federal Guard Service, which is responsible for the security of the country’s top officials, opened the door to all photographers on orders from President Dmitry Medvedev.
Medvedev, an avid photographer who has published a gallery of his artwork on the Kremlin web site, ordered the change after photographers appealed to him to drop the restrictions.
Under the old rules, professional photographers caught taking pictures were ordered to destroy them and were escorted off Red Square or out of the Kremlin.