Estonia is set to close its border to more than 50,000 Russians with previously issued visas this week, a move that came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for Western nations to ban all Russian travelers.
The ban will come into effect on August 18 and will revoke EU short-stay visas, known as Schengen visas. According to Reuters, about 2,500 Russians cross the border into Estonia each day, more than half of them using Schengen visas.
Estonia is the first EU country to take such drastic action after Zelensky’s demand. Finland, which shares an over 800-mile border with Russia, announced Tuesday that it would also take action against Russian travelers by slashing Russian visas by 90%.
Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania plan to propose a joint EU policy on Russian visas at an EU foreign ministers meeting at the end of August. Western sanctions have banned Russian flights in most countries across Europe, which Russian travelers have circumvented by boarding flights in neighboring countries.
When Zelensky demanded that the West ban Russian travelers, he said that the “whole population” of Russia was responsible for President Vladimir Putin’s war and said they should be punished for it.
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu echoed Zelensky when justifying the ban. “We have to admit that Russian society, by and large, also bears passive moral responsibility for these atrocities, which takes place on Ukrainian soil,” he said.
Why are these tinpot régimes given such important by the “EU” which is already in the process of destroying itself by pandering to Biden?
They are important because one day they will be expected to lay down their lives for NATO
Just how many NATO soldiers have died in the last 22 years – I’m just asking because it would seem likely that Russian Federation forces have taken more casualties in 170 odd days of fighting in Ukraine than NATO forces have over 22 years.
Europe is remarkably adept at shooting itself in the foot. Estonia’s unfriendly action alienated a large number of customers who will likely never return. Their economy will take a permanent hit. It might even create an opportunity for some astute entrepreneur to develop a new tourist resort inside Russia.
“the strategy requires Russian forces to obliterate entire towns to drive them out.”
That assumes that “driving them out” is some kind of requirement rather than a chosen option.
Your comment here looks like a reply to a different post. But I’ll respond anyway. Yes. It’s a choice, and one that was clearly stated when Putin started the Special Military Operation. Ukraine forces will be driven out of the Donbass by any conventional means necessary.
That said, Ukraine forces are deserting in several areas, and the Russians are allowing them to get away. Their own officers are not always so forgiving.
Why wasn’t this done by everybody on day 1? Let the average moderately well to do Russian know that what their government is doing is not acceptable.
The UK government was involved in war crimes i don`t hear anyone shouting about that , and so where most NATO countries , do you know the meaning of HYPOCRISY ?.
So all the peoples of NATO countries are responsible for the war crimes of their respective military`s in their grand tour of Afghanistan , Iraq , Libya , ect ect ?, or are war crimes by NATO good and war crimes by none NATO countries bad ? .
This is a sanction on Russians not because of Russian war crimes, though there may be a lot none has as yet been proven, so the sanctions are because Russia is conducting a war of territorial conquest.
If NATO or any single NATO country NATO country engages in a war of territorial conquest then indeed their populations would be responsible – I personally feel responsible for the war crimes that Danish soldiers have allowed to happen, so yes by all means throw in responsibilities for those too.
Other nations are free to refuse us visas if they so desire – I would actually like to see them doing so – though banning tourism for a lot of these countries will hurt them more than they will the population of the NATO countries as they have more alternatives.
No war crimes are always bad – all the more so as they more often makes enemies less likely to make peace.