Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania closed their borders to Russians

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania closed their borders to most Russian citizens on September 19 in response to widespread support for the war in Ukraine within Russia, reports "Voice of America«.

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The agreed ban means that Russian citizens wishing to visit the Baltic countries as tourists or for business, sports or cultural purposes will not be able to enter, even if they have valid Schengen visas.

The prime ministers of the three Baltic countries and Poland agreed earlier this month to stop admitting Russian citizens, saying the move was aimed at bolstering the security of the four countries of the European Union.

“Russia is an unpredictable and aggressive state. Three-quarters of its citizens support the war. It is unacceptable that people who support the war can travel freely around the world, to Lithuania, to the EU,” Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite said on September 19.

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“Such support for military action can pose a threat to the security of our country and the EU as a whole,” she added.

The ban allows exceptions for humanitarian visits and visits by family members of EU citizens. The Baltic countries will also be able to enter Russian dissidents, diplomats, transport workers, as well as Russians with residence permits or long-term national visas issued by 26 Schengen countries.

Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminsky on September 19 signed a decree imposing a ban on the entry of Russians into the country from September 26. Poland, which borders the Russian Kaliningrad region, still maintains severe restrictions on the entry of foreign tourists due to COVID-19.

A member of the Association of Russian Culture and Education in Poland said the new ban would hit much harder if the pandemic bans weren't already heavily restricting travel from Russia.

“After more than two years of restrictions, we see no prospects for improving the situation, and this is the worst,” said Polish citizen Andrzej Romanczuk.

Areas on both sides of the border between Poland and the Kaliningrad region will suffer economically, he said, as cross-border traffic stimulates local trade. Russians also come shopping in cities like Warsaw and Krakow.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 65 Russians have crossed the border with Poland. This roughly corresponds to the same period last year, but ten times less than before the pandemic.

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The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Lithuania reported that since the beginning of the ban on September 19, 11 Russian citizens were not allowed into the country. Most of them tried to travel overland from the Kaliningrad region or Belarus. There were no reports of any incidents.

The Baltic states cannot, however, prohibit Russian citizens from entering through other Schengen countries. They want similar restrictions to be introduced by all EU countries.

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