The EU is currently debating a visa ban on Russian military personnel as fears rise over Moscow’s escalating hybrid war against Europe. The measure was recently proposed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as part of the bloc’s twenty-first sanctions package, but has yet to be adopted.
“For the first time, we propose to ban from entry into the EU anyone who has served in the Russian Armed Forces since the beginning of the war. Europe stays off limits for anyone who has participated in the invasion of Ukraine. As simple as that,” von der Leyen said on June 9.
The envisaged ban is far from a done deal and will require unanimous approval from all EU capitals. Recent reporting indicates that both Paris and Rome are resisting the move, citing legal and technical concerns. France and Italy currently receive the highest number of visa applications from Russia among EU countries.
The idea of imposing visa restrictions on Russian soldiers was first advanced by a group of eight EU member countries in spring 2026. Germany, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Poland called on Brussels to address concerns posed by current and former Russian military personnel entering Europe, which they characterized as “one of the most serious risks to the EU’s internal security arising from the war in Ukraine.”
