While the Russian army does everything possible to destroy Ukrainians and erase their identity, the flow of Russian tourists to Europe grows. Thus, since the start of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, almost 700,000 Russians have entered the EU territory.
From September 19, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland imposed a ban on entry for Russian citizens, including those who have Schengen visas issued by third countries. The ban does not affect those who want to visit the country to meet relatives and for humanitarian reasons.
While Russia conducts the war of annihilation against Ukraine, the free entry of Russian citizens to EU countries may threaten public safety since tourist visas are also used for espionage. Also, such restrictive measures are an important step in the international condemnation of Russian aggression and сomplement the effect of sanctions.
Speakers:
- Roberts Zīle, Latvian economist and politician and Vice President of the European Parliament for the National Alliance
- Grigore-Kalev Stoicescu, Estonian diplomat, researcher at the International Centre for Defence Studies
- Julia Bali, the editor-in-chief of Raadio 4
UKRAINE IN FLAMES project is created by Ukraine Crisis Media Center and NGO “Euroatlantic Course”. We are aiming at searching a loud support for Ukraine in the war started by Russia on the 24th of February 2022.
If you want to support Ukraine against Russian aggression, check the link with recommendations by Ukraine Crisis Media Center – https://uacrisis.org/en/help-ukraine.
NGO Euroatlantic Course collects donations to support Ukrainian Army and civilians – https://eac.org.ua/en/main-page/.
