Since early 2022, Russian influencer Egor Melo has been traveling across Europe. Over the past year, he attended Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Zurich, celebrated New Year’s Eve in Paris, and explored the historic sites of Nuremberg, Germany.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, direct flights between Russia and the European Union were suspended. Later that year, in September, the EU also ended its visa facilitation agreement with Russia, making the visa process more expensive, longer, and more complicated for Russian citizens.
As a result, Schengen visa fees have risen, and several EU countries — particularly those bordering Russia — have reduced the number of visa appointments available to Russians. The EU has also urged member states to scrutinize Russian applications more carefully.
Yet, these measures haven’t made travel illegal for Russian tourists — only more difficult and costly.
Some countries have taken an even tougher stance: Latvia, Norway, Poland, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic have imposed almost total bans on tourist visas for Russians.
Still, on his Instagram, where Melo promotes the idea that “travel in Europe is accessible to everyone,” he claims to have visited two of the banning countries last year on a tourist visa without any issues. His advice? Apply for a visa from another Schengen country: “For example, fly into Italy first, then travel to these countries from there.”
It’s possible because the Baltic states’ bans apply only at their external borders — not to Russians already inside the Schengen zone. As Sarah Ganty, co-author of a Yale Journal of International Law paper opposing the bans, explained to CNN, “Once you are in the Schengen zone, you can travel freely within it because there is, in principle, no internal control. It’s not illegal; it’s simply how the Schengen system works.”
Getting a Permit Isn’t That Hard
Melo isn’t alone. Despite the hurdles, Russian tourists continue traveling. According to EU meeting data cited by Latvia’s interior minister, 565,069 Schengen visas were issued to Russians in 2024 — about 90% for tourism. While that’s a major decline from the four million visas issued in 2019, it’s still a 25% increase from 2023. The visa rejection rate for Russians varied widely across EU states, ranging from 1% to 65% in early 2024.
An executive from the Russian Union of Travel Industry (ATOR) told Vedomosti that the stabilization of Schengen visa issuance has fueled a surge in travel demand.
A prominent Russian travel blogger, who asked CNN to withhold their name for fear of affecting future visa applications, agreed. They recently traveled to Norway — despite the country halting visa issuance for Russian tourists in May 2024.
“Nowadays, applying for a visa demands many additional documents, like flight tickets, hotel reservations, and even tax certificates,” they explained. “Some people even joke that you’ll soon need a doctor’s note to travel.”
Still, they believe travel remains manageable. In fact, they said, getting an EU residence permit, such as Spain’s digital nomad visa, is currently not too difficult. Many Russians are opting for long-term residence permits instead of tourist visas.
“For example, if you have family in the Baltics, the easiest way to visit them is by first flying into Italy, France, or Spain, then crossing into Estonia or Latvia,” they said.
Because of the lack of direct flights, Russians now commonly transit through countries like Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Serbia. Travelers from Russia’s Far East often use China as a gateway.
‘No Questions Were Asked’
Despite the bans, Russian travel agencies continue offering tours to countries that have restricted Russian tourists — including Latvia. For instance, YouTravel currently advertises a 15-day road trip across Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Latvia, even offering free visa assistance.
Agencies like Visateka in St. Petersburg also claim they can help secure entry to banned countries by first obtaining visas through other Schengen countries, such as France, for about $300, including booking flights, hotels, and preparing embassy documents. They report high approval rates — around 93% — for French, Italian, and Spanish visas.
Last December, Daria from St. Petersburg, who asked CNN not to use her full name, shared that she used a Spanish visa to travel to Riga. She flew to Istanbul, then Madrid, and finally to Latvia — all in the same day.
“No one questioned me at the airport,” she said. “It’s a common practice.”
Daria added, “I don’t support Putin, and I don’t see why I should be treated as a threat.”
Growing Frustration
Online travel forums like Vinsky are filled with similar stories. One traveler shared how they used a French visa to fly via Vienna into Riga without any issues. Another flew from Rome to Amsterdam using an Italian tourist visa, asking online for advice about potential risks — to which others reassured them that internal Schengen travel posed little problem once a visa was secured.
Meanwhile, the European Commission said it continues monitoring visa policy implementation through the “Blueprint Network” — its migration monitoring framework — and encourages consistent application of the guidelines among member states.
Some countries, however, are becoming more lenient: Hungary expanded visa exemptions to Russians and Belarusians last year, resulting in a significant rise in Russian tourism. Romania, too, resumed short-stay visa issuance for Russian tourists to revive tourist revenues. Italy even reduced its visa processing times at centers in Moscow.
As the war drags into its third year, frustration is mounting. Latvia’s interior minister Rihards Kozlovskis has urged fellow EU nations to adopt full Schengen tourist visa bans for Russians, citing security concerns like sabotage, propaganda, and illegal crossings.
Kozlovskis argued, “It’s our moral duty to deny such services.”
The Russian blogger CNN spoke with disagrees, saying state officials are already banned from traveling and that regular tourists pose no threat.
Bans ‘Unlawful’
The European Commission emphasized that while it supports stricter scrutiny, it still upholds rights such as asylum and safeguards against forced returns (non-refoulement).
Sarah Ganty criticized national-level bans by countries like Poland and Finland as breaches of EU law. She stressed that many Russians applying for Schengen visas are not simply tourists but people visiting family, dissenters, or individuals with urgent health needs.
“We must continue dialogue with Russian citizens, especially those opposing the regime,” she said.
Meanwhile, Mark Temnycky, a Ukrainian-American fellow at the Atlantic Council, shared his discomfort seeing so many Russians vacationing in places like Montenegro, Greece, and Cyprus — especially while Ukrainians endure war.
“To me, it felt wrong,” Temnycky said. “Many Ukrainians haven’t had the luxury of vacationing for years because of safety concerns. Meanwhile, Russians, whose country is waging the war, are traveling freely.”
He believes the EU should enforce stricter travel bans, arguing it’s not about punishing ordinary Russians but about seeking new ways to pressure Russia — and that such measures are worth trying.
