The Estonian government announced the inclusion of 1,073 Russians who participated in the war against Ukraine on the side of the Russian army on the list of those banned from entering the Schengen area.
This was announced on social media by Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
According to him, these people committed serious crimes in Ukraine: murder, destruction, rape, and looting.
“Among them are convicted criminals released from prison and sent to the front lines, as well as individuals who are openly hostile to Europe. Former militants are recruiters for Russian intelligence and pose a real threat of sabotage, subversion, and organized crime on European soil,” the minister's post says.
Tsakhkna emphasized that closing the Schengen zone for them is “protecting the security” of all Europeans.
“We strive to ensure that no Russian citizen who has taken up arms against Ukraine can enter Europe. Aggression has its price. The ban on entry to the Schengen zone is part of this price. You cannot kill one day and enjoy civilized Europe the next,” the Estonian Foreign Minister summed up.
On January 12, Estonian authorities banned entry into the territory of Estonia to 261 people who participated in the war against Ukraine on the side of Russian troops.
On February 6, during a visit to Kyiv, Tsakhkna said that Europe is discussing the creation of a single “black list” of Russian soldiers who fought against Ukraine. According to him, this includes hundreds of thousands of people, and potentially about a million participants in the fighting.