Sweden, together with a coalition of 10 countries is pressing the EU executive to tighten visa restrictions on Russian travellers.

In a joint letter sent on Tuesday to Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign affairs chief, and Magnus Brunner, the migration commissioner, ministers called for new binding measures to curb non-essential travel by Russian citizens to the Schengen area.

“I want there to be no more shopping weekends. I want there to be no more fancy trips to Europe while Ukrainians are dying on the battlefield,” said Swedish migration minister Johan Forssell on Thursday in Luxembourg.

“This situation is completely insane, and it needs to stop.”

The letter is signed by Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, as well as Norway and Iceland.

Although the EU suspended its visa facilitation agreement with Russia in 2022 following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, implementation of subsequent guidance has varied significantly across EU countries. The signatories argue that these differences have encouraged “visa shopping” and created security problems within the passport-free Schengen area.

“It has been deeply troubling to witness increasing numbers of Russian tourists enjoying leisure travel on European beaches and in European resorts while missiles and drones continue to strike civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine,” the letter, seen by Euractiv, reads.

In April, Euractiv first reported that Schengen visa issuance to Russian nationals had increased in 2025, highlighting a growing gap between the EU’s political rhetoric on isolating the Kremlin and the continued demand for Russian tourism across parts of the bloc.

Confidential figures seen by Euractiv and circulated among national governments show that more than 477,000 tourist visas were issued to Russian nationals in 2025, accounting for roughly 77% of all visas granted to Russians. The figure represents an 8.4% increase compared with 2024.

France, Italy and Spain accounted for nearly three-quarters of all visa applications submitted by Russian nationals.

The ministers also raised concerns about the potential movement of Russian nationals with combat experience gained during the war in Ukraine.

The letter calls on the European Commission to explore mechanisms for identifying and restricting the entry of current and former Russian combatants into the Schengen area.

The Commission had been working on a proposal since March. At Estonia’s request, the EU executive is expected to examine possible measures to identify former and active Russian combatants and prevent them from entering the Schengen zone.

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