The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry explained the idea of ​​a visa ban by the preservation of the opposition in Russia

The European Union should stop issuing Schengen visas to Russians so that the largest number of opposition-minded citizens remain in Russia, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Deutsche Welle (recognized as a foreign media agent in Russia). Earlier, the country’s Foreign Ministry called for a ban on the entry of Russians at the EU level.

“When we say that in Russia there could be 5-10% of people opposed to the war, then we would already be talking about millions. Do you want these millions to be inside Russia or outside it? I believe that change comes from within. And if we believe that a democratic Russia awaits us in the future, then its formation will come from within,”— declared Landsbergis (quote from Kommersant).

Statement of the Lithuanian Minister commented Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. “Lithuanian Foreign Minister Landsbergis believes that it is not necessary to give visas to the Russian opposition – “let them sit in the country and prepare changes.” Let them sit? Kind Landsbergis clearly indicated “support,” she wrote in her Telegram channel.

On August 10, the official representative of the German government, Steffen Hebestreit, during a briefing, said that the EU began discussing the initiative of a number of countries of the union to ban the issuance of visas to Russian citizens. The next day, the Estonian authorities were the first in the EU to decide to ban Russians with Schengen visas, which were issued by the republic, from entering the country. The restriction will take effect next week.

The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said this week that the bodies with powers in the field of state security, visa issuance and border control are “evaluating the decisions taken by Estonia and Latvia.”

“Lithuania has consistently advocated sanctions against aggressive states and adheres to the position that restrictions work more effectively if they are applied at the EU level,” the ministry said.

Latvian President Egil Levits also urged to interrupt the issuance of visas to Russians at the EU level and to review the already issued residence permits and visas, the Delfi portal reported. In addition, the possibility of introducing restrictions was discussed in Finland, the Czech Republic and Denmark.