Experts called the risks of introducing mirror visa barriers for foreigners

“A blow to Russophiles in the West”

Senator Andrei Klishas proposed to turn obtaining a Russian visa for foreigners from unfriendly countries into an impossible mission. “The EU countries, when applying for visas, require our citizens to comply with impossible requirements. Obviously, this is evidence of discrimination and treatment of Russians as second-class people, ”said the head of the Federation Council committee on constitutional legislation and demanded the introduction of mirror measures for citizens of offender states.

What the visa adventures of foreigners can turn out for Russia itself, MK learned from experts.

“It is necessary that the rules for issuing Russian visas to foreign citizens be mirrored and contain the same (up to impossible) set of requirements. From words and fruitless regrets, it is necessary to move in this area to tough responses, ”Klishas wrote in the Telegram channel.

The reaction of tourism industry experts to the senator’s calls was skeptical. Experts noted that Klishas’ statement runs counter to the position of Vladimir Putin, which he expressed at a meeting on the aviation industry in March last year. “We are not going to close ourselves off from anyone, and we will not be a closed country, but we must proceed from the realities that are emerging,” the president emphasized at the time.

Today, experts in the field of international tourism note that the realities are developing neither in favor of Russia, nor in favor of the EU countries. Experts say a critical decline in the flow of tourists from European countries since the start of a special military operation.

According to the vice-president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry Yuri Barzykin, the number of visitors in 2022 fell by 90%. Against the backdrop of extremely low activity of those wishing to visit our country, experts consider it unnecessary to introduce additional restrictions. Moreover, since March last year, when European countries one after another closed the skies for Russian aircraft, flying to our country has become a “problem with an asterisk”, which only the most stubborn can solve even without additional barriers.

At the same time, the expert stressed that for Russian citizens a trip to Europe has also become an extremely unpleasant adventure with an unlimited set of risks. This also affected the drop in the tourist flow in the usual directions and became the reason for the reorientation of tourists from Russia to the south and east:

Outbound tourism has decreased by about 95%. Attempting to obtain a visa to the EU is not practical at the moment. We do not recommend Russian tourists to visit these countries.

Firstly, there is no normal logistics, you have to get through third countries. Second, the risks are high. Our means of payment in Western countries do not work. In Finland, you don’t even go to the toilet with cash, you need a bank card to pay. It also has to be obtained in third countries. The legal protection of our citizens in Western countries is also extremely weakened due to the downsizing of Russian diplomatic missions,” said Yuri Barzykin.

Yury Moskovsky, Project Director of the Good Neighborhood Foundation for the Development of International Relations, notes that mirror visa barriers for foreigners will damage Russia’s reputation and economy.

– It is worth recalling that collective punishment is prohibited by law. Instead of flogging a mass of innocent people, it is better to impose personal sanctions and initiate criminal cases against specific individuals who really conduct anti-Russian activities.

In this regard, the example of Georgia is indicative. In response to the severance of diplomatic relations by Russia, Georgia after some time made the entry for our citizens open and visa-free, which greatly strengthened the friendly and purely human relations between our Russian and Georgian peoples, says Yuri Moskovsky.

Political scientist Alexei Makarkin notes that if the Russian side introduces visa restrictions, Russian foreign communities, as well as “non-citizens” in the Baltic countries, will be under attack. In addition, not only ordinary tourists will have to jump over new barriers, but also Western scientists who are used to traveling to Russia for scientific events in order to exchange knowledge with colleagues.

– Over the past thirty years, many immigrants from Russia have settled abroad, but they do not want to break ties with our country. Mirror measures can hit those who sympathize with Russia. According to those who are called Russophiles in the West, Makarkin believes.

Read the material “Travel agencies advised Russians to apply for a visa to Europe six months in advance”