Eleven European nations demand tighter visa rules for Russian tourists, calling the influx 'insane' while Ukraine suffers

A coalition of eleven European countries has formally asked the European Commission to introduce stricter and more uniform restrictions on tourist visas for Russian nationals, according to a letter obtained by multiple news agencies. The initiative, led by Sweden, comes as data shows a rise in Schengen visas issued to Russians despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The call for restrictions

The letter was signed by ministers from nine EU member states — Sweden, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Poland — plus Norway and Iceland. It was addressed to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and migration commissioner Magnus Brunner. The signatories demand "new restrictive and binding measures" to limit the number of Russian tourists entering the Schengen area.

I think it's insane, frankly speaking, that we are seeing hundreds of thousands of Russian tourists coming to Europe, enjoying sunshine. They are having weekend shopping trips, drinking rosé wine, while at the same time Ukrainians are dying on the battlefield.

Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell made the remarks on the sidelines of an EU justice and home affairs meeting in Luxembourg. Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro added that former Russian combatants are "a future problem for Europe" and should be kept out of Schengen, noting that Estonia has already started a blacklist of 2,000 individuals.

Visa numbers and the security argument

According to the letter, 477,878 Schengen visas were issued to Russian citizens for tourism purposes in 2025, up from 440,558 in 2024. Most of these were multiple-entry visas. The signatories argue that this facilitated access increases security risks, "particularly those linked to the movements of hundreds of thousands of Russian fighters in Ukraine." They also urged the Commission to better identify active soldiers and veterans to deny them entry.

The EU suspended its visa facilitation agreement with Russia in 2022 after the full-scale invasion. The Commission says this caused the number of visas issued to Russians to drop from over four million before February 2022 to around 500,000 in 2023. In November 2025, the Commission banned the issuance of multiple-entry visas for Russian nationals in response to hybrid attacks attributed to Moscow.

A divided Europe

Tourist destinations such as France, Spain and Italy are among the countries issuing the most visas to Russian citizens — France issued roughly 180,000 in 2025, Italy around 160,000, and Spain approximately 100,000. These countries did not sign the letter. They argue that hundreds of Russian officials and prominent figures are already under sanctions barring them from the EU, and that penalising ordinary citizens is unnecessary.

For the local and tourist economy of that country it may be very good, but we keep sending the signal to Russia of 'just keep coming'. So the Netherlands has joined the wish to be stricter on this.

Dutch Asylum and Migration Minister Bart van den Brink (CDA) acknowledged the economic tension but sided with the restrictive camp. The letter also warns that inconsistent application of visa rules creates "unequal economic positions" among member states and encourages "visa shopping," where applicants seek out the country with the easiest entry requirements.

Broader reactions

Ukraine has long criticised European countries that facilitate Russian holidays. Vsevolod Chentsov, Ukraine's ambassador to the EU, said last year it was "disturbing that Russian citizens can still travel to Europe without problems" given the increasing number of cyberattacks, sabotage acts and hybrid activities aimed at undermining European democracies. Russian officials, meanwhile, have dismissed the push as "anti-Russian hysteria" and accused European nations of open xenophobia toward Russian citizens. The Russian government had not immediately responded to the latest letter at the time of reporting.