Exiled Russian opposition figures criticize EU’s visa tightening

Russian opposition figures in exile have criticized the European Union’s new restrictions on visas for Russian citizens, saying the measures unfairly target ordinary people.

“Russia – it’s not just the Kremlin. It’s millions of people who want to live in their country,” said prominent Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who now resides in London.

“It’s more advantageous for the West to recognize this difference and maintain the bridges for future dialogue,” Khodorkovsky, a former political prisoner and ex-head of the now-defunct oil company Yukos, posted on Telegram on Friday.

Khodorkovsky said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine has damaged relations with the West, but it is important to maintain contacts between people.

Student and cultural exchanges should continue, he said. “You cannot say that all Russians are the same,” he said.

The EU earlier announced it would tighten rules for Russian citizens applying for visas. According to the European Commission, most Russians will no longer be eligible for multiple-entry visas and will need to apply for a new visa for each planned trip.

The aim is to scrutinize applicants more frequently and to reduce potential security risks, the commission said.

Zhanna Nemtsova, daughter of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was assassinated in Moscow in 2015, also criticized Europe’s blocking of assets belonging to hundreds of thousands of Russians.

She said these were ordinary investors, not government officials or billionaires, who were being discriminated against solely for holding a Russian passport. Her foundation, named after her father, has published an analysis and said it will advocate for changes.

In the past, the team of Alexei Navalny, the opposition leader who died in a penal colony last year, also appealed for Western sanctions not to further complicate the lives of exiled Russians or opponents of Putin.

Navalny’s team has successfully campaigned for sanctions against Putin’s associates, but cautions against punishing innocent Russians.

The Kremlin condemns Western sanctions as unlawful but also argues that the country has grown accustomed to them and will not yield to pressure.

Security concerns drive EU crackdown

EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said said the new measures were aimed at reducing “acts of sabotage and the potential misuse” of visas.

“Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has created the most dangerous security environment in Europe for decades. We now face unprecedented drone disruptions and sabotage on our soil,” Kallas said in a statement.

“We have a duty to protect our citizens. Stricter rules will now apply to Russian nationals requesting a visa to travel to the EU,” she said, adding “travelling to and freely moving within the EU is a privilege not a given.”

The number of issued visas to Russian nationals has dropped from 4 million to around 500,000 within a few years, a European Commission spokesman said.

The still relatively high figure has provoked criticism that wealthy Russians are still able to go on a vacation in Europe while people are dying in Ukraine as a result of Russia’s war.

The EU recently decided to restrict the freedom of movement of Russian diplomats and consular officials as well as their staff and family members over espionage and disinformation concerns.

From January 25 next year, they will have to register trips between EU member states at least 24 hours in advance in the destination and transit countries.