Europe Tightens Visa Rules for Russians - And Hits the Wrong Targets - EU cracks down on Russian visas as dissent grows and Orbán courts Putin
The EU has tightened visa restrictions on Russian citizens, sparking debate and concern. Meanwhile, a young singer, Naoko, was arrested in St. Petersburg for performing protest songs. Hungary's leader, Viktor Orbán, has invited Vladimir Putin for a visit, despite the ongoing tensions.
The EU Commission has suspended multiple-entry Schengen visas for Russians. This move, part of the fight against the Putin regime, has been criticized as ineffective against the leadership but harsh on ordinary Russians. Several EU countries have halted tourist visas, and direct flights have ceased.
Naoko, an 18-year-old singer, was arrested for performing songs by artists labeled as 'foreign agents'. She was sentenced to detention for regime-critical performances, officially due to an unapproved gathering. The EU's visa policy has been slammed as collective punishment, affecting human rights activists, professors, and journalists.
Revolut, a British online bank, has started closing accounts of non-EU residents, primarily those who left Russia due to opposition to Putin's policies. The number of Schengen visas issued to Russians has plummeted from four million in 2019 to 500,000 in 2024, an eightfold decrease.
The EU's visa restrictions aim to pressure the Putin regime but may disproportionately affect ordinary Russians. Naoko's arrest highlights the crackdown on dissent in Russia. Despite the tensions, Viktor Orbán has kept Putin's visit to Hungary on the agenda, raising eyebrows among EU members.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
