© depositphotos/ vadimrysev The entrance of Russians who participated in hostilities against Ukraine may bring grave repercussions for the safety of a member state or the whole Schengen zone.
EU officials have encouraged Brussels to reinforce visa regulations for Russian nationals who possess battle experience in Ukraine. Eight leaders, including Friedrich Merz and Donald Tusk, have made a plea to European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen regarding this matter, as reported by Politico on March 13.
Leaders cautioned that Moscow's military actions against Ukraine present enduring menaces to the domestic security of the European Union's Schengen free passage area.
They contend that discharged Russian soldiers or fighters on a tour of duty, encompassing thousands recruited from prisons, might attempt to journey to EU nations, potentially stimulating structured crime, aggressive offenses, or antagonistic state operations.
The communication specifies that the amplified quantity of visas granted to Russian people enhances the urgency of this subject.
The tourism sector approximates that Russian persons presented between 620,000 and 670,000 applications for Schengen visas in 2025, positioning Russians among the top five most recurrent nationalities aiming for admittance to the EU. Approximately four out of five candidates were approved for a visa.
“Consequently, any admission could entail severe ramifications for the protection of a Member State or the entirety of the Schengen territory,” the communication asserts.
The project, also backed by Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Sweden, urges the Commission to formulate specific visa limitations and to scrutinize revisions to EU guidelines permitting synchronized entry denials. EU nations have already tightened accessibility in recent times, with the majority of visas now dispensed for diminished stays and restricted durations of legitimacy.
It’s worth noting that dialogues concerning establishing hindrances to entry for Russians into the EU have been ongoing for an extended period. Returning to 2025, the European Union was intending to intensify visa stipulations for Russian citizens, essentially discontinuing the distribution of multiple-entry Schengen visas in the majority of instances.
The embargo constitutes another measure in the bloc's endeavors to penalize Moscow for its warfare in Ukraine, and will signify that Russians will typically only be sanctioned for single-entry visas, with some exceptions allowed for compassionate grounds or for individuals who also maintain EU citizenship.
The EU has previously rendered it more challenging and costly for Russians to secure visas, suspending the visa facilitation treaty with Moscow towards the close of 2022. Several member states, such as the Baltic nations, have proceeded further, entirely prohibiting or strictly curtailing entry into their domain for Russians.
Nonetheless, visa dispensation persists as a national prerogative, implying that while the European Commission can complicate the procedure, it cannot enforce an absolute entry restriction on Russians.