Ten Russian citizens not allowed to enter Estonia on first day of entry ban for Russians with Schengen visas

On 19 September, ten Russian citizens were unable to enter the territory of Estonia, reports Estonian newspaper Postimees, citing shift commander of the Narva border checkpoint Jaanika Karp. One of the reasons was the newly introduced ban on entering the country for Russian citizens holding the tourist Schengen visas.

According to Karp, the employees of the Narva border checkpoint did not face any negative reactions from Russians due to the restrictions.

“Russia’s citizens understand that we’re doing our job,” she said, noting that Russians with a permanent residence permit were still entering the country.

Russia’s state news agency TASS, citing commander of the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service Rustamas Liubajevas, reported yesterday that Lithuania had not let 11 Russians with Schengen visas enter the country during the first hours of the implementation of the new ban.

Liubajevas clarified that the majority of Russian citizens had tried to cross the border through the checkpoint in the city Kybartai (it borders the Russian Kaliningrad region) and through Belarus.

Starting from 19 September, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland banned entry to Russians holding Schengen visas, including the ones issued by other EU countries. Furthermore, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands no longer accept applications for tourist visas from Russian citizens.