Germany is urging European Union countries to significantly reduce the issuance of tourist visas to Russian citizens. In Berlin, officials believe the current scale of visa issuance contradicts the EU’s sanctions policy and creates additional security risks.
Germany’s Foreign Office said that EU countries are issuing far too many tourist visas to Russians. In the German government’s view, this practice does not align with the logic of sanctions against Russia and makes it harder to monitor people entering the European Union.
The debate intensified after an investigation into an alleged attempted attack on Leipzig Airport involving drones and explosives.
According to the publication, the case involves a Belarusian citizen who also holds a Russian passport. He entered the Schengen Area on a tourist visa issued by the Italian embassy in Minsk. At the same time, security sources suggest the man did not travel to Italy itself.
According to figures cited by The Guardian, in 2025 Italy issued the highest number of Schengen visas to Russian citizens among EU countries.
Italy, France and Spain together accounted for about three quarters of all Schengen visa applications from Russians.
In 2025, Italy issued more than 165,000 visas to Russian citizens. By comparison, in 2021 there were almost 64,000 such visas.
Meanwhile, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the Czech Republic have almost completely stopped issuing tourist visas to Russians, introducing national restrictions that are stricter than EU-wide rules.
Roderich Kiesewetter, a representative of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union, called on the EU to reduce the issuance of tourist visas to Russian citizens as much as possible.
He said the ability to move freely around the European Union could be used for espionage and sabotage.
Following appeals from the German side, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani instructed officials to review the circumstances under which the visa was issued to the man involved in the case concerning the possible attack on Leipzig Airport.