The European Commission has proposed a controversial new measure that would deny entry visas to anyone who has served in the Russian armed forces since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, marking a significant expansion of the EU’s sanctions regime against Russia.
The proposal forms part of the EU’s 21st sanctions package, unveiled by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and High Representative Kaja Kallas on June 9. If approved unanimously by member states, the measure would effectively bar current and former Russian military personnel from entering the Schengen Area.
“We propose for the first time to ban entry into the European Union for anyone who has served in the Russian armed forces since the beginning of the war,” von der Leyen said when presenting the package in Brussels, framing it as a moral and security necessity.
