Estonia bans over 1,000 more Russian soldiers from entering Schengen zone
This week, Estonia banned a further 1,073 combatants who fought for Russia in its war against Ukraine from entering the Schengen zone.
"Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine is one of the most severe crimes against humanity," said Estonian Minister of the Interior Igor Taro (Eesti 200).
"Russian soldiers who fought and continue to fight in Ukraine have killed, destroyed, raped and looted. Closing the common European security space and the Schengen zone to them is in the interests of everyone's security," Taro added.
"Based on previous wars unleashed by Russia, for example in Afghanistan or Chechnya, we know that people returning from the front line begin to seek new opportunities involving violence and organized crime," the minister continued.
Taro also said that aggression must come at a cost to the aggressor.
"The European Union has imposed political and economic sanctions against Russia as an aggressor state. However, this is not just the Kremlin's war, as hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens have fought and are fighting against Ukraine. This war of aggression has to come at a price for all of them. Closing the Schengen zone to them is one part of that price. It cannot be the case that one day you are killing people, and then the next you are relaxing in civilized Europe," the interior minister said.
"I have emphasized this point in many recent meetings with our international partners. Our approach is recognized, understood and will definitely be supported. As the desired result is the same – a safer Europe – it is crucial that we can share the workload of adding hundreds of thousands of aggressor soldiers to the list of those banned from entry," Taro added.
In June 2025, ministers from seven northern European countries, including Estonia, called for the introduction of a Schengen zone visa ban for members of the Russian Armed Forces and other armed groups, who have participated in the war against Ukraine.
The issue was also discussed at subsequent meetings, including at an informal EU summit held last month in Cyprus.
To expand the circle of participants backing the initiative, Minister of the Interior Igor Taro is holding bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other EU and Schengen zone members.
It is estimated that up to 1.5 million Russian citizens have participated in Russia's war of aggression, of whom approximately 640,000 are still on the front lines.
In Russia, the number of violent crimes committed reached its highest level in 15 years in the first half of 2025 when more than 333,000 were recorded. This increase is, at least in part, believed to be a result of the return of large numbers of convicted criminals from the front lines.
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Editor: Michael Cole, Elizaveta Kalugina
