This will affect traveling Russians. The EU is preparing another blow

The EU is about to attack the Russians

A call to consider further tightening visa requirements for Russian citizens was made by the leaders of member states at the EU summit in Brussels that ended on Friday.

Issuing visas is the competence of member states, and individual applications are considered individually by national authorities, noted EC spokesman Markus Lammert on Monday.

However, he added, the European Commission can coordinate actions at the EU level and encourages countries to apply the guidelines issued in 2022, which provide, among others, for: reducing the prioritization of Russian applications and assessing security risks more thoroughly.

According to the spokesman, the number of visas issued to Russians across the EU has decreased.

We see the results. In 2022, around 4 million visas were issued across the EU, while in 2025 it was around 618,000-620,000. – he informed.

Visa ban for participants in the fighting against Ukraine

Markus Lammert also recalled the restrictions already introduced regarding multiple-entry visas for Russian citizens. He announced that further actions will be presented soon.

This is the 21st package of EU sanctions against Russia, which introduced grounds for establishing a visa ban for combatants and former soldiers of the Russian armed forces, as well as members of other armed groups taking part in Russia's war against Ukraine.