EU to discuss visa restrictions for Russians and new sanctions against the «shadow fleet»

Bloomberg writes that the European Union plans to hold a series of meetings in the coming weeks. They want to discuss limiting the issuance of tourist visas, tightening travel rules for Russian diplomats, and new sanctions against “shadow fleet” vessels.

On September 3, European Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert said that the EU is preparing targeted visa restrictions for Russians because of “hostile actions”. He also said that the number of visas issued to Russians fell from 4 million in 2022 to 618,000 in 2025.

The publication also recalled the August 4 incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany. There, a drone carrying explosives was found near a Ukrainian transport aircraft, and Germany’s Interior Ministry called what happened “a hybrid terror scenario”.

Later, Die Zeit reported that another unidentified object struck the wing of a Ukrainian cargo plane that same night. On September 1, Germany blamed Moscow for the incident, and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas supported the idea in the EU of tightening visa restrictions for Russian tourists and banning entry for former combatants.

Russia’s embassy in Germany called the drone incident “a hastily concocted provocation”. The next day, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Germany’s chargé d’affaires in Moscow and said the measures taken by Berlin were a step toward further deterioration of bilateral relations. Moscow considers the sanctions illegal, and the visa restrictions discriminatory.

Sources

• RBC