Moscow expects Schengen visa cancellation for Russians

Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department Ivan Volynkin has voiced a statement regarding the possible cessation of Schengen visa issuance to Russian citizens by the European Union.

In the light of the West’s actions, Russia does not exclude a scenario in which Russian citizens will no longer be issued Schengen visas, TASS quotes Volynkin as saying on July 25.

“The ministry is carefully recording calls coming from Europe to stop issuing Schengen visas to Russians. Most of these statements are made by odious politicians or public figures - Russophobes, and we perceive them accordingly,” the diplomat said.

In addition, there is a complete suspension of the issuance of visas to Russian citizens in the consular offices of Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Estonia in Russia.

Volynkin added that in the event of a radical degradation of consular ties with other countries - members of the Schengen Agreement, even the scenarios that are seen as improbable today, cannot be ruled out.