Since Thursday, Russian citizens are no longer allowed to enter their neighboring country with a Schengen visa issued by Estonia. The workload has “not increased significantly,” border guard Mark Smirnov reported from the checkpoint in Narva. Entry bans should have been issued “only occasionally”.
From the border guard’s point of view, this is because the information about the restrictions is spreading well in Russia. In addition, Estonia has not issued new tourist visas for several months.
Bypass a no-fly zone
The background of the new regulation is the war in Ukraine. The European Union had closed its airspace to Russian aircraft a few days after the war broke out. The ban is repeatedly circumvented through Finland and Estonia, as well as other countries. The Estonian government is therefore also campaigning for a fundamental ban on tourist visas for Russians in the EU.
Russians who live in Estonia, have a right of residence or have family members in the Baltic EU country are currently exempt from the entry ban. In addition, people from Russia who have visas from other EU countries that are valid for the entire Schengen area are also allowed to enter. “Our phone rings more often than usual. People ask if they can cross the border in their specific case,” Smirnov said on Thursday evening.
Until now, entry bans only had to be issued in isolated cases because people were well informed. “Our work on the border crossing is currently progressing at a fairly normal pace,” Smirnov described. According to the authorities, about 2,500 Russian citizens crossed the border into Estonia every day. Almost half of them had a tourist visa.
Will other countries follow?
Finland is also currently exploring ways to limit tourist visas for Russians. The governments of Denmark and Norway have indicated that they wish to have this discussion. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, on the other hand, rejected it.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
