Moscow Reacts to Proposed EU Entry Ban for Russian Military Personnel

Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev has strongly reacted to the proposal by European Union High Representative, Kaja Kallas, to ban Russian military personnel from entering the Schengen Area.

In his message on X on February 23, Medvedev referred to Kallas as a “blonde rat” and stated that Russian soldiers “can enter it without visas if they want to. Like in 1812 or 1945,” commenting on the European Union's plans.

Medvedev's remarks came on the same day that the European Union was considering new sanctions against Russia.

A few hours earlier, Kallas had announced that she, together with the European Commission, is working on a plan to prevent hundreds of thousands of former Russian military personnel from freely entering the Schengen Area.

“We do not want war criminals and saboteurs to roam our streets,” she emphasized.

Commenting on the EU's move to limit the movement of Russian military personnel in Europe, Medvedev called it “a loss for our fighters” and suggested that they would always find a way to enter the EU, even without visas.

Meanwhile, the European Union is preparing to impose stricter visa regulations for Russian nationals, a move that would significantly limit the issuance of multi-entry Schengen visas in most circumstances, according to Politico.

This step represents another escalation in the EU's response to Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, and will primarily restrict Russian citizens to single-entry visas. There will be exceptions, such as for humanitarian cases or dual citizens holding EU passports.

The tightening of visa rules follows the suspension of the EU-Russia visa facilitation agreement in late 2022, which had already made it more difficult and expensive for Russians to obtain travel permits following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the outlet reported.

Previously, it was reported tha the European Union is working on a new military mobility system, often referred to as a “Military Schengen,” designed to facilitate the swift movement of troops, weapons, ammunition, and the evacuation of injured soldiers in the event of a potential war with Russia.

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