Politics
Estonia presses EU-wide ban on Russians who fought in Ukraine
Tallinn warns former fighters could pose long-term security risks to Europe.
![EU High Representative and Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas talks to journalists upon arrival for a EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels on January 29, 2026. [Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP]](/gc6/images/2026/02/03/54467-afp__20260129__94dq3mc__v1__highres__belgiumeucouncilpoliticsdiplomacy-370_237.webp)
By AFP and Kontur |
After barring hundreds of Russian veterans of the war in Ukraine from entering its territory, Estonia is now pressing the European Union (EU) to extend the ban across the bloc, warning that battle-hardened fighters could pose long-term security risks to Europe.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna raised the proposal at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on January 29, urging member states to consider a Schengen-wide entry ban on Russians who fought in Ukraine.
"Many member states around the table supported this. We agreed to take this proposal further, and test the appetite from the member states. This is one of the steps we need to prepare if there is a ceasefire or some kind of solution. We need to have answers before," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said following the meeting.
Earlier in January, Estonia banned 261 Russians who fought in Ukraine from entering the country, promising it was "just the start."
![A fighter of the Chechen Akhmat battalion walks past destroyed houses in the village of Kazachya Loknya in the Sudzha district of the Kursk region on March 18, 2025, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. [Tatyana Makeyeva/AFP]](/gc6/images/2026/02/03/54468-afp__20250318__372u94w__v3__highres__russiaukraineconflict-370_237.webp)
The interior ministry said in a statement those who had committed atrocities in Ukraine had "no place in the free world."
Estonia, which shares a border with Russia, has advocated for a Europe-wide visa ban on Russian veterans of the Ukraine war for months and has gained support from Baltic and Nordic countries.
The ministry estimates as many as 1.5 million Russians have taken part in the invasion, about half of them having served on the front line.
Interior Minister Igor Taro said the threat posed was "not theoretical," adding that the Russians had "combat experience and military training, and may often have a criminal background."
"This is only the beginning," Tsahkna wrote on X on January 12, adding: "We call on other countries to do the same."
"Ensuring accountability for war crimes while safeguarding Europe's security is essential to a just and lasting peace," Prime Minister Kristen Michal wrote on X.
The move was praised by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiga, who called entry bans a "necessary security measure" and "a clear signal that impunity will not be tolerated" on X.