The European Union intends to impose new restrictions on the entry of Russian citizens into its territory

The European Union (EU) is considering adopting a complete entry ban for Russians who participated in the war in Ukraine. This was announced by Anitta Hipper, spokeswoman for the EU Foreign Policy Service, at a press conference, the recording of which was published on the official website of the European Commission.

,,This measure was proposed by an EU member state and received significant support. Brussels is exploring ways to exert maximum pressure on the Russian Federation’’, she noted.

The initiative came from Estonia. On January 27 this year, the government in Tallinn announced that it had banned the entry of 261 Russians who fought in Ukraine, promising that this was ,,just the beginning’’.

The Estonian Interior Ministry said in a statement that those who committed atrocities in Ukraine ,,have no place in the free world’’.

,,Accountability for war crimes and safeguarding security at European level are essential for a just and lasting peace’’, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal wrote on the social network X.

Estonia, which shares a border with Russia, has been advocating for months for a European-wide visa ban on Russian veterans and has already won support from the Baltic and Nordic countries.

The ministry estimates that up to 1.5 million Russians took part in the large-scale invasion, about half of whom served on the front lines.