The Embassy of Latvia in Russia has suspended the issuance of all visas for Russians for an indefinite period.
An exception will be made only for those traveling to Latvia for the funeral of a close relative. The reason for the introduction of such measures is not specified.
Earlier, Estonia also stopped issuing temporary residence permits and study visas to Russian citizens. In addition, the country's government has amended the already imposed sanctions, according to which citizens of Russia and Belarus will be able to register short-term work in Estonia only if they have an Estonian visa.
The Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat sent a question to the European Commission (EC) about whether it is possible to ban the issuance of tourist visas to all Russians. The EC replied that the EU visa rules do not allow to stop it completely, it should always be possible to provide visas to certain groups.
“The EU sanctions against Russia are aimed primarily and specifically at the Russian government and the Russian economic elite, as the goal is to prevent the Kremlin from financing an aggressive war in Ukraine,” the response says.