Key facts
- Sweden urged the European Commission to tighten rules on tourist visas for Russians.
- Sweden and 10 other EU countries sent a letter to EU officials regarding the visa issue.
- The letter stated that the number of tourist visas issued to Russian citizens has risen.
- Ministers argued that uneven rules risk undermining security and sanctions policy on Russia.
- Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell called the situation 'insane'.
Sweden's migration minister, Johan Forssell, has called on the European Commission to tighten rules on tourist visas for Russian citizens. Forssell stated that it is 'insane' for Russians to be enjoying European holidays while Ukrainians are dying in the war. He was speaking at an EU justice and home affairs meeting in Luxembourg.
Sweden, along with ministers from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Poland, sent a letter to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and migration commissioner Magnus Brunner. The letter highlighted that the number of Schengen tourist visas issued to Russian citizens has increased, with 477,878 issued in 2025, up from 440,558 in 2024. The signatories urged the Commission to urgently tighten and harmonize restrictions, warning that uneven rules could undermine security and the EU's sanctions policy against Russia over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Russian officials have accused European countries of anti-Russian hysteria and racism.