The Czech Republic closed entry to the country to Russians with tourist Schengen visas, regardless of the country that issued them. The restriction came into effect on October 25.
The details were reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. It is noted that the government approved the ban proposed by the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yan Lipavskyi.
The event was a reaction to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
“While in Ukraine, Russian rockets are falling on children’s playgrounds and on people who are just going to work, every day up to 200 citizens of the Russian Federation enter the Czech Republic through the international airport. We agreed that entry will be refused to those Russian citizens who arrive to the territory of the Czech Republic through the external borders of the Schengen area, that is, through our international airport, for the purpose of tourism, sports or culture. This measure will apply to travelers with a valid Schengen visa issued by any EU member state,” explained Lipavsky.
Thus, the Czech Republic joined the Baltic countries, Poland and Finland, which have already closed their borders to Russian tourists.
In addition, the Czech Republic expanded the training program for Belarusian students.
“We want to provide high-quality European education to those who are persecuted for political reasons and to those who are determined to change the current undemocratic conditions in their country,” commented the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Czech government also adjusted the status of Ukrainian students so that they could enroll in Czech universities, even if they received temporary protection in other EU countries.
It will be recalled that Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands have already denied entry to Russian tourists. The Russian Federation complained about such restrictions, but stated that they do not plan to introduce measures in response.
