ISTANBUL 

The Estonian foreign minister said on Monday that the country imposed entry bans on 261 Russian combatants who took part in Russia's war in Ukraine.

“Estonia imposed entry bans on the first 261 of Russian combatants who took part in the war of aggression against Ukraine – and this is only the beginning,” Margus Tsahkna said on US social media company X.

Tsahkna said hundreds of thousands of fighters from Russia had been involved in the conflict, accusing them of committing atrocities and spreading violence. “They have no place in Estonia and in the Schengen area,” he said.

He added that Tallinn would continue efforts to keep Russian ex-combatants out of the country and urged other states to adopt similar measures.

“We will keep working to ensure the door stays closed to Russian ex-combatants, and we call on other countries to do the same,” he said.