BRUSSELS: The European Union on Friday said it would deny Russians multi-entry visas as security fears rise nearly four years into the war on Ukraine.
“Starting a war and expecting to move freely in Europe is hard to justify,” EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas wrote on X.
“The EU is tightening visa rules for Russian nationals amid continued drone disruptions and sabotage on European soil.”
The visa curbs come as fears have risen over the threat of Russian “hybrid warfare” in the EU after air space incursions and unexplained drone sightings in numerous countries.
Brussels said that from now on Russian nationals “will have to apply for a new visa each time they plan to travel to the EU, allowing for close and frequent scrutiny of applicants to mitigate any potential security risk.”
It said there will be “exceptions for justified cases such as independent journalists and human rights defenders” under the new rules.
The bloc already tightened controls on travel by Russian diplomats stationed in the 27 EU countries in new sanctions last month.
Hawkish EU countries have long pushed for tougher visa limits on ordinary Russians, arguing they should not be able to travel freely for tourism while the war rages in Ukraine.
The EU in 2022 suspended its visa facilitation agreement with Russia and has told member states to “deprioritize” visas for Russians.
Brussels says the number of visas issued to Russians fell from more than four million before the war to some 500,000 in 2023.
But EU diplomats said the the number of approvals has begun to rise again.
Tourist hotspots France, Spain and Italy are among countries providing the most visas.
While proponents of tougher measures insist ordinary Russians should feel more impact from the war, the Kremlin’s opponents have urged the bloc not to cut them off from Europe.
Opposition figurehead Yulia Navalnaya said in September that broad restrictions would be a “serious mistake” as they would feed the Kremlin’s narrative that Europe is hostile to all Russians.
She urged the EU to instead keep targeting the elite close to President Vladimir Putin to try to pressure the Russian leader, who has ruthlessly stamped out any opposition at home.
“For the purpose of achieving peace in Europe it is counterproductive to assist Russian authorities in isolating Russian society,” Navalnaya wrote in a letter Kallas.
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EU restricts visas for Russian nationals over Ukraine war
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EU restricts visas for Russian nationals over Ukraine war
- Brussels said that from now on Russian nationals “will have to apply for a new visa each time they plan to travel to the EU, allowing for close and frequent scrutiny of applicants to mitigate any potential security risk”
Peru to elect interim leader after graft scandal ousts president
- Jose Jeri was accused in the irregular hiring of several women in his governmen
- Lawmakers will choose a new parliament speaker who will lead the country until July 28
LIMA: Peru’s Congress is set to elect an interim president on Wednesday to replace Jose Jeri, who was impeached in a graft scandal just four months after taking office.
Jeri, 39, was accused in the irregular hiring of several women in his government, and of suspected graft involving a Chinese businessman.
The new interim president will be Peru’s eighth head of state in 10 years, after the Latin American country burned through a string of leaders who were impeached or investigated for wrongdoing.
Lawmakers will choose a new parliament speaker who will lead the country until July 28, when the next president elected in national polls takes office.
Jeri himself became president following the impeachment of his predecessor Dina Boluarte in October.
The vote, which is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. (2300 GMT), will end a power vacuum of more than 24 hours, unprecedented in the country’s recent history.
Four members of Congress have thrown their hat in the ring for the top job: former Congress president Maria del Carmen Alva, left-wing congressman Jose Balcazar, veteran socialist Edgar Raymundo, and Hector Acuna, whose party is tainted by corruption scandals.
Alva is one of the favorites to win the vote.
Jeri is constitutionally barred from running.
Peru’s chronic political instability has seen four of its past seven presidents impeached, and two resigning before suffering the same fate. Only one completed his intended term, centrist academic Francisco Sagasti.
Congress voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to impeach Jeri, who was serving as interim president after massive protests last year ousted Boluarte, Peru’s first woman leader who served for only 22 months.
The new interim president will serve out the remainder of Jeri’s term. A new leader will then take over following elections on April 12.
‘True leader’
Paula Jimenez, a 22-year-old saleswoman in the Peruvian capital Lima, said the political crisis was “secondary” compared to the everyday problems of ordinary people.
She accused parliament of focusing on internal squabbles rather than the concerns of Peruvians.
Peru has been gripped by a wave of extortion that has claimed dozens of lives, high levels of post-pandemic poverty and unemployment, and the domestic rise of gangs such as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua.
Edgardo Torres, a 29-year-old industrial engineer from Lima, said Peru needed “a true leader” to bring some much-needed political stability.
Prosecutors last week opened an investigation into whether Jeri “exercised undue influence” in government appointments.
Jeri has protested his innocence.
He found himself in the spotlight over claims revealed by investigative TV program Cuarto Poder that five women were improperly given jobs in the president’s office and the environment ministry after meeting with Jeri.
Prosecutors said there were in fact nine women.
Jeri is also under investigation for alleged “illegal sponsorship of interests” following a secret meeting with a Chinese businessman with commercial ties with the government.
Jeri, 39, was accused in the irregular hiring of several women in his government, and of suspected graft involving a Chinese businessman.
The new interim president will be Peru’s eighth head of state in 10 years, after the Latin American country burned through a string of leaders who were impeached or investigated for wrongdoing.
Lawmakers will choose a new parliament speaker who will lead the country until July 28, when the next president elected in national polls takes office.
Jeri himself became president following the impeachment of his predecessor Dina Boluarte in October.
The vote, which is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. (2300 GMT), will end a power vacuum of more than 24 hours, unprecedented in the country’s recent history.
Four members of Congress have thrown their hat in the ring for the top job: former Congress president Maria del Carmen Alva, left-wing congressman Jose Balcazar, veteran socialist Edgar Raymundo, and Hector Acuna, whose party is tainted by corruption scandals.
Alva is one of the favorites to win the vote.
Jeri is constitutionally barred from running.
Peru’s chronic political instability has seen four of its past seven presidents impeached, and two resigning before suffering the same fate. Only one completed his intended term, centrist academic Francisco Sagasti.
Congress voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to impeach Jeri, who was serving as interim president after massive protests last year ousted Boluarte, Peru’s first woman leader who served for only 22 months.
The new interim president will serve out the remainder of Jeri’s term. A new leader will then take over following elections on April 12.
‘True leader’
Paula Jimenez, a 22-year-old saleswoman in the Peruvian capital Lima, said the political crisis was “secondary” compared to the everyday problems of ordinary people.
She accused parliament of focusing on internal squabbles rather than the concerns of Peruvians.
Peru has been gripped by a wave of extortion that has claimed dozens of lives, high levels of post-pandemic poverty and unemployment, and the domestic rise of gangs such as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua.
Edgardo Torres, a 29-year-old industrial engineer from Lima, said Peru needed “a true leader” to bring some much-needed political stability.
Prosecutors last week opened an investigation into whether Jeri “exercised undue influence” in government appointments.
Jeri has protested his innocence.
He found himself in the spotlight over claims revealed by investigative TV program Cuarto Poder that five women were improperly given jobs in the president’s office and the environment ministry after meeting with Jeri.
Prosecutors said there were in fact nine women.
Jeri is also under investigation for alleged “illegal sponsorship of interests” following a secret meeting with a Chinese businessman with commercial ties with the government.
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