From September 1, Finland will limit the number of tourist visas issued to Russians to "ten percent of the current level," Pekka Haavisto, head of the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced .
Priority in issuing visas will be given to those who apply for them for family reasons, work or study. The ministry estimates that from September on average, about 500 applications per day will be processed instead of 1,000. Of these 500, only 100 will be tourist visa applications.
At the same time, it is reported that Finland may introduce a new type of humanitarian visa for Russian journalists and activists.
On August 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for Western countries to ban all Russians from visiting their territories. After that, Estonia decided to close the borders to the Russians, promising that it would make "some exceptions." At the same time, the German chancellor said that he could hardly imagine such a ban, since the responsibility for the war in Ukraine lies not with ordinary Russians, but with the authorities.
In July, the European Commission already issued a statement that a complete ban on the issuance of tourist visas to Russians is impossible due to visa rules, since it should always be possible to grant visas to certain groups – family members of EU citizens, journalists and dissidents.