Demobilized Russian fighters could pose crime and security risks for the EU’s Schengen free-movement area, northern and eastern capitals warn.
Germany’s Friedrich Merz and Poland’s Donald Tusk are among a group of EU leaders urging Brussels to tighten visa rules for Russian nationals with combat experience in Ukraine.
In a letter to European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, eight leaders warned that Moscow’s war on Ukraine is creating longer-term internal security risks for the EU’s Schengen free-movement area.
They argue that demobilized or rotating combatants, including thousands recruited from prisons, could seek to travel to EU countries, potentially fueling organized crime, violent offences or hostile state activity. They say rising numbers of visas issued to Russian nationals add urgency to the issue.
Russian nationals filed some 620,000 to 670,000 Schengen visa applications in 2025, according to travel-industry estimates, ranking among the top five nationalities seeking entry to the EU. Roughly four in five applicants received a visa.
“Any entry may therefore have serious consequences for the security of a Member State or the entire Schengen area,” the letter states.
The initiative, also backed by Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Sweden, calls on the Commission to prepare targeted visa restrictions and explore changes to EU rules enabling coordinated entry bans. EU countries have already tightened access in recent years, with most visas now issued for shorter stays and more limited validity.