Limiting Russian Visa, EU: Starting War Hopes To Move Free In Europe

The European Union (EU). (Antoine Schibler-Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The European Union (EU) on Friday 7 November said it would start rejecting multi-entred visas for Russian citizens following growing EU concerns after nearly four years of war in Ukraine.

"Starting the war and hoping to move freely in Europe is difficult to justify," wrote Head of Foreign Policy for the EU, Kaja Kallas, on his X account, Friday, November 7, quoted from AFP.

"EU is tightening visa rules for Russian citizens amid continued disruption and sabotage of drones in European territory," he continued.

This visa restriction comes amid growing concerns over the threat of Russia's hybrid war' in the European Union after infiltration of airspace and the appearance of drones that cannot be explained in many countries.

The EU states that from now on, Russian citizens should apply for new visas whenever they plan to travel to the European Union, which allows strict and periodic scrutiny of applicants to reduce potential security risks.

It was stated that there would be exclusion for several things such as independent journalists and human rights defenders' under the new rule.

The EU has tightened travel controls of Russian diplomats stationed in 27 European Union countries in new sanctions last month.

Hard-paced EU countries have long pushed for stricter visa restrictions for ordinary Russians, arguing they should not be able to travel freely for tourism during the war in Ukraine.

The EU in 2022 suspended its visa facilitation agreement with Russia and has instructed member states to "reduce priority" visas for Russian citizens.

The EU said the number of visas issued to Russian citizens fell from more than four million before the war to around 500,000 by 2023.

However, EU diplomats said the number of approvals had begun to increase again.

France, Spain and Italy, major tourist destination countries, are among the countries that provide the most visas.