Estonia bans entry for Russians who fought in Ukraine

Interior Minister Igor Taro stated that the imposed bans are a necessary measure, as there is no place in the free world for those who committed atrocities in Ukraine on behalf of Putin. "There is no doubt that these are individuals hostile to Europe. They have combat experience, military training, and often a potential criminal past. Moreover, they are psychologically traumatized. The threat they pose is not theoretical – it includes both possible execution of tasks for Russian special services and participation in organized crime," Taro said.

Vice Chancellor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Internal Security Joosep Kaazik added that these are just the first bans, and more will certainly follow. "We are sending a clear signal that crimes and violence committed in Ukraine have long-term and real consequences."

According to Kaazik, this step was not spontaneous. "For the first time, we discussed this topic more broadly in the summer of 2025 at a meeting of the interior ministers of Northern European and Baltic countries held in Estonia. Since then, we have repeatedly raised and examined this issue in various discussion formats within the European Union. We hope that other countries will soon follow Estonia's initiative. The priority task is to create a unified blacklist for the entire Schengen area and impose a ban on issuing Schengen visas and residence permits in the EU to all identified former Russian combatants," Kaazik explained.

It is estimated that up to 1.5 million Russian citizens participated in Russia's armed aggression, of which about 640,000 are still on the front lines.

In Russia, the total number of serious crimes related to the use of violence reached a 15-year high in the first half of 2025. More than 333,000 such crimes were registered, and part of this increase is associated with the mass return from the front of previously convicted criminals.