British News Agency

EU Foreign Policy Chief, Kaja Kallas, announced the decision last Friday, stating, "It cannot be justified to start a war and expect free movement in Europe." She added that the tightened rules were a response to Russian drones entering European airspace and Russia-linked sabotage attacks.

However, many Russian opposition figures stated that this move would have the opposite effect. Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin, who was imprisoned in late 2022 for opposing the war in Ukraine, said in a phone call, "You cannot blame an entire country for the actions of its government." Yashin was released last year in a prisoner exchange and now lives in Germany.

Getting a Schengen visa had already been difficult for Russians, and some EU countries like Poland and Finland banned the entry of all Russian citizens without residence permits. Additionally, in recent months, many Russian refugees in Europe had their bank accounts closed or frozen.

Exiled Russian journalist Sergey Parkhomenko agreed, calling the visa decision "extraordinary in its stupidity, ineffectiveness, and clearly hopelessness," stating that it was a sign of a European elite trying to show they were doing something but didn't know what to do.

The rules are already in effect, and while Schengen Area countries have the freedom to interpret the rules, a source from Moscow reported that even Hungary, the most Russia-friendly country in the region, stopped issuing multiple entry visas this week.