EU Plans To Tighten Schengen Visa Rules For Russians

“This is not the time to be soft on security.”

Head of the EU Migration Service Ylva Johansson said that the European Union will likely tighten restrictions on issuing visas to Russian citizens. According to her, Russians traveling through the Schengen zone pose a serious threat to European security, The Moscow Times writes.

According to data for 2023, about 450 thousand Schengen visas were issued to Russian citizens. Although this figure is significantly lower than before the war in Ukraine, it is still quite high, which is a concern, Johansson explained. She recalled the increased incidence of sabotage and espionage on European territory, as well as the recent attempt by Russian special services to kill the head of the German arms concern Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger.

“This is not the time to be soft on security, potentially undermining the security of the entire Schengen area,” she said (quoted by The Guardian). Johansson, who is leaving her post this month, also expressed concern that not all EU member states apply uniform standards when considering Russian visa applications. She said that she had initiated a process to review the rules, but the final decision would be made by her successor, Magnus Brunner.

After Putin's decision to start a full-scale war in Ukraine, a number of European countries that border Russia effectively closed entry to Russians. In particular, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Finland, and the Czech Republic did so. Some stopped issuing short-term tourist visas, while others stopped letting Russians into their territory even with Schengen visas that had already been issued. In September, European Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said that the European Union intends to tighten control over the issuance of visas to Russians, stressing that Russia's actions pose a threat to the security of the union.

The New York Times' sources previously warned that Russia could intensify sabotage against targets in Europe, as well as carry out attacks on US and allied military bases in response to Ukraine's permission to fire long-range Western weapons at Russian territory. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted in the summer that NATO countries regularly face cyberattacks, disinformation, and provocations from Moscow.

In May, the intelligence services of the EU countries warned their governments that Russian authorities were preparing sabotage in Europe. According to them, Moscow is preparing explosions, arson, and damage to European infrastructure with the help of its agents and proxies.

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