Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna put forward an initiative to ban entry into the Schengen Area for all individuals who served in the Russian army and took part in combat operations on the territory of Ukraine.
Source: Censor.NET
According to the head of Estonian diplomacy, after the war ends, thousands of former Russian soldiers with combat experience and criminal backgrounds may attempt to enter EU countries, posing serious security risks.
Tsahkna emphasized that this currently concerns at least hundreds of thousands or even around a million people who fought or continue to fight against Ukraine, and raised the question of the consequences of their possible arrival in the Schengen Area.
In Estonia, officials warn that the return of such individuals to civilian life could lead to an increase in crime, as well as their use by Russian special services to destabilize the situation in European countries.
The foreign minister stressed that military personnel with combat experience, including former prisoners with anti-European views, have no place in a free Europe. The proposed ban, according to Tallinn’s plan, would be preventive in nature and could deter Russian citizens from participating in the war against Ukraine.
Currently, the Schengen Visa Code does not provide for checks on participation in combat operations, so introducing such restrictions would require changes at the level of the European Commission and the EU Council.
Previously, Estonia had already banned entry to 261 Russians who fought in Ukraine, but is now advocating for much broader restrictions — for tens or even hundreds of thousands of individuals.