Why European Schengen-ban for Russian citizens bunches down, not up

The European Union banned Russians from obtaining multi-entry Schengen visas earlier this month, presenting the decision as a way to tighten pressure on the Kremlin. In practice, however, critics argue that the measure achieves the opposite.

Ordinary Russians now face soaring costs and stricter rules simply to visit family, study abroad or take a holiday, while members of Russia’s elite continue to move freely through Europe on “golden passports” and “golden visas,” as highlighted by an article in The Moscow Times.

The piece notes that while the policy appears tough, it effectively “punches down, not up,” given that most of Russia’s elite already hold multiple citizenships and maintain offshore residences.

"It is teachers, students and pensioners who will be stranded, along with families divided by intermarriage or migration. These are precisely the people the West should want to keep close, yet they are the ones being shut out," the publication warns.

The author further observes that Russians do not stop travelling in response to such restrictions — they simply redirect their trips to places like Türkiye or China.

Meanwhile, millions of Russian speakers already living in Europe, including an estimated 3.5 to 4.5 million in Germany alone, are feeling increasingly alienated. As family ties are cut, many become more susceptible to far-right, pro-Russian parties that promise restored connections and respect.

“Traveling to and freely moving within the EU is a privilege, not a given,” declared EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

The article predicts that the Kremlin will seize on statements like this as evidence that “Russophobia” runs deep in the West, reinforcing President Vladimir Putin’s narrative that Russia is targeted not because of its actions, but because of its identity.

Allowing ordinary Russians to travel benefits both sides, the publication argues, as it keeps channels of communication open while exposing Russians to democratic societies "that no propaganda can erase."

By Nazrin Sadigova