Estonia Announced Border Closure to Russian Citizens

Estonia has taken another step forward in banning Russians from entering the Western countries. On August 11th, Estonia announced that it will close its borders to Russian citizens holding Schengen visas issued by the country.

According to the Russian news agency, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said, “In a week, Russian citizens holding Schengen visas issued by Estonia will be restricted from entering Estonia.”

Reinsalu also added that this measure does not involve special cases, such as the staff of the Estonian embassy and consulates and their family members, those engaged in international transport, and those who are free to enter and leave according to EU law. Humanitarian workers, close relatives of Estonian citizens and holders of permanent residence permits in Estonia are not affected by this measure. According to Estonian statistics, more than 50,000 Russian citizens hold valid Schengen visas issued by the country.

Ukrainian President Zelensky said earlier that the Western countries should ban all Russians from entering the countries. Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian President, directly pointed out that it was futile to try to isolate the Russians and Russia.