Eight European leaders have called on the European Union to stop issuing visas to Russian citizens who have fought in Ukraine, citing security concerns.
In a joint letter ahead of next week’s European Council meeting, the prime ministers of Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Sweden and Poland, along with the leaders of Germany, Lithuania and Romania, appealed to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and Antonio Costa, president of the European Council.
“Beyond the military threat, we must also address internal security challenges arising from this war,” the letter said. Among the signatories was Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda.
The leaders argued that individuals who fought as members of the Russian armed forces could pose serious internal security risks, including involvement in violent crime, organised criminal networks, extremist movements or hostile activities linked to Russia’s “hybrid operations”.
They also noted that more than 180,000 convicted criminals were recruited from Russian prisons to fight in the war.
“We stress the need to fully use existing tools to address the security risks related to identified former and current soldiers of the aggressor state,” the letter said. “This includes, where possible and justified, refusing visas and residence permits and imposing long-term entry bans across the entire Schengen area.”
The leaders urged other EU member states to support the initiative and include the issue in the conclusions of next week’s European Council summit.
At the same time, the letter noted that the number of Schengen Area visas issued to Russian citizens has been rising again after a sharp drop following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. About 4 million visas were issued to Russians in 2019, but the figure fell to around 541,000 in 2024. Compared with 2023, however, the number increased slightly, from 517,000 to 541,000.
Several countries – including Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia and Estonia – have sharply restricted visa applications from Russians. Others, such as Hungary, France, Spain and Italy, have continued issuing visas more liberally.
In 2024, Italy issued 152,254 Schengen visas to Russian citizens through its consulates in Russia, nearly 19,000 more than in 2023. France issued 123,890 visas, about 25,000 more than the year before, while Spain issued 111,537, an increase of about 15,000.
The idea of banning Russian soldiers involved in the war from traveling in Europe was first raised earlier this year by Estonia, which has already implemented a similar measure. In early January, Estonia banned entry to 261 Russian citizens who had fought against Ukraine.
The proposal has received limited support across the EU. Radosław Sikorski, foreign minister of Poland, has suggested it might be preferable to allow such individuals to enter Europe so they could be detained and prosecuted for crimes committed during the war.
Estimates suggest that up to 1.5 million Russian citizens have taken part in the war against Ukraine, with about 700,000 still deployed on the front lines.
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