12 Schengen States Push EU to Tighten Russian Visas as 470,000 Tourist Permits Were Issued
Updated
Updated · The Moscow Times · Jun 4
12 Schengen States Push EU to Tighten Russian Visas as 470,000 Tourist Permits Were Issued
3 articles · Updated · The Moscow Times · Jun 4
Summary
Twelve Schengen countries urged Brussels to impose new binding visa restrictions on Russians, with EU interior ministers taking up the issue in Luxembourg.
A June 2 letter said more than 470,000 tourist Schengen visas were issued to Russians in 2025 and warned that easy access creates security risks, including possible entry by Russians who fought in Ukraine.
Sweden and other hawkish members argue leisure trips to European resorts are unacceptable while the war grinds through its fifth year, and say current rules are enforced unevenly across the bloc.
Other EU governments and diplomats oppose blanket curbs, saying travel can expose Russians to non-Kremlin narratives; Yulia Navalnaya has also warned broad bans would reinforce Moscow's claim that Europe is hostile to all Russians.
The EU already suspended its visa facilitation deal with Russia and curbed multi-entry visas, cutting issuances from more than 4 million before the war to about 500,000 in 2024.