Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has called on the European Union to ban entry for all Russian citizens who fought against Ukraine, citing Estonia's national implementation as proof the mechanism works.
"Estonia has already demonstrated leadership by implementing relevant national decisions and proving that the mechanism works. Now it is time to expand this to the entire European Union, and I urge my EU colleagues to take this step seriously," Sybiha wrote on X.
The minister framed the proposal as addressing European security rather than punishment alone. "First, it’s about the long-term national security of European states and the protection of their citizens from Russian thugs," he stated.
Sybiha emphasized that the ban should send a clear message to Russians considering military service. "Each Russian who signs a contract to invade Ukraine must know that he also signs himself a lifelong entry ban to Europe," he wrote.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna revealed during a joint press conference in Kyiv that Estonia initiated the blacklist process to prevent Russian ex-combatants from entering the Schengen zone. "We know that there is around a million soldiers fighting against Ukraine," Tsahkna said. "My question was, are European people ready for peace, which will come once, and we know that these ex-combatants, they will come to Europe."
Tsahkna described the profile of those who should be blocked. "We are talking about hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people. They are mainly criminals, they are rapists, they are very bad persons," he said at the February press conference.
The Estonian minister explained the mechanism's dual purpose. "I think that this is a clear message as well to Russian people not to come to fight against Ukraine people because their future will be barred from the opportunity to travel and to come to Europe," Tsahkna stated.
Estonia has already introduced the initiative at the EU Foreign Ministers level. "It got a very understandable feedback, and I do hope that we will execute this decision very soon," Tsahkna said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiha connected the entry ban to broader accountability measures.
The proposal comes as EU governments have agreed to restrict the movement of Russian diplomats within the European Union in response to increased sabotage attempts, which intelligence services report are often carried out by spies operating under diplomatic cover.
