EU countries issue large number of tourist visas to Russians despite sanctions

ISTANBUL

Several major EU countries, including France, Italy, and Spain, have granted large numbers of tourist visas to Russian citizens, despite ongoing EU sanctions and growing concerns among eastern member states over security threats stemming from Russia's war on Ukraine.

According to data cited by EUobserver, more than 552,000 Schengen visas were issued to Russian nationals in 2024, marking a 9% increase compared to the previous year, the Iltalehti daily reported on Tuesday.

Italy alone granted over 152,000 visas, up by approximately 20,000 from 2023. In contrast, Finland, along with Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Norway, has significantly restricted or halted the issuance of tourist visas to Russians altogether.

While travel to the EU remains a costly undertaking for most Russians, often requiring transit through Istanbul or Dubai due to limited direct flights, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) reported nearly 30 million outbound trips by Russian citizens last year, a 15% rise from 2023 levels. Popular destinations include Türkiye, Egypt, the UAE, and Thailand.

Eastern EU countries, particularly those bordering Russia, argue that tourism can be exploited for intelligence-gathering purposes. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky warned that Russia’s security services have historically used uncontrolled people flows, such as tourism, as part of their hybrid warfare tactics.

Despite these warnings, France has defended its policy, emphasizing the importance of people-to-people contacts.

“We try to separate the Russian government from the Russian people and civil society,” France’s Foreign Ministry said. British defense analyst Emily Ferris supported the view, stating it would be unfair to punish ordinary Russians for decisions made by their leadership.