Germany is urging European Union partners to impose tighter limits on tourist visas for Russian citizens after recent sabotage attacks that Berlin has blamed on Moscow. The push follows a German investigation into a Belarusian national who also holds a Russian passport over an alleged attempt to attack Leipzig airport with drones and explosives.
German authorities say the suspect allegedly entered the Schengen area on a tourist visa issued by Italy’s embassy in Minsk. Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, has ordered checks into how that visa was granted; the investigation does not establish that the visa process was improper.
What Germany is asking the EU to do
Germany’s foreign ministry said the number of visas issued to Russian nationals for holidays in the EU was too high. Government sources argued that the volume conflicts with the spirit of sanctions linked to the war in Ukraine and makes it difficult to determine who is entering the bloc and for what purpose.
Roderich Kiesewetter, a CDU foreign and security policy expert in the Bundestag, called for the EU tourist visa programme for Russians to be suspended immediately or reduced to the absolute minimum. He said the ability to move freely within the EU was being exploited for espionage and sabotage. These are calls for tighter restrictions, not an EU-wide measure already reported as enacted.
Key figures
- Italy issued 50,709 visas to Belarusian citizens last year, compared with 2,968 in 2021.
- Italian visas issued to Russian citizens rose from 63,894 in 2021 to more than 165,000 in 2025.
- Italy, France and Spain together received three-quarters of Russian visa applications in 2025, according to Euractiv.
Why the Italian visa is under review
Security sources said the Belarusian suspect did not appear to have travelled through Italy after receiving the visa. Tajani said visas are granted when applicants meet the requirements and have no individual alert, and that officials would examine why this visa was issued if those conditions applied.
The EU has expanded its list of Russians barred from entering the bloc as part of a 22nd sanctions package. Germany has also announced the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn, the summoning of Russia’s ambassador and tighter monitoring of Russia’s shadow fleet in the Baltic Sea.
Restrictions differ across EU countries
Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the Czech Republic have adopted national restrictions that have nearly stopped visa issuance to Russian citizens. Other EU countries have continued to issue large numbers, with some increasing them.
Some anti-war Russian activists in Europe argue that blanket visa restrictions may have limited effect because Russian intelligence services increasingly recruit people remotely through Telegram channels and pay them in cryptocurrency. Recent cases prosecuted in Germany and Lithuania allegedly involved Ukrainian or Baltic citizens rather than Russians.
What happens next
Italy is reviewing the visa issued to the Belarusian suspect, while Germany is pressing EU partners for tighter limits on Russian tourist visas.
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