German politicians call for tighter entry controls on Russians

After this week's prisoner exchange between Russia and Western countries, there are increasing calls in Germany for strict requirements and entry controls for Russian citizens. Politicians supported this in discussions with the Berlin daily "Tagesspiegel."

Marcel Emmerich, a member of the German Greens, assessed in Berlin's Tagesspiegel that it is necessary to "ensure that thorough and rigorous visa controls prevent Russian spies and saboteurs from entering."

CDU member Jürgen Hardt, on the other hand, advocates broader entry bans. Entry permits are significant for progressive elements of Russian civil society, Hardt stated. "But they are becoming less frequent. Europe's borders should be closed to those profiting from the Kremlin regime and wealthy Russian tourists," he added.

As part of the prisoner exchange, Russia and Belarus released 16 prisoners, including members of the Russian opposition and Western citizens. In exchange, eight Russian prisoners, including dangerous criminals and two minors, were allowed to return to Russia. Among them was the so-called Tiergarten murderer Vadim Krasikov, whose release was described by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as an extremely difficult decision, made at the request of the USA and to free innocent people.

Vladimir Putin welcomed the released Russians at the airport and greeted them warmly, including the Tiergarten murderer. He announced the awarding of state honours to them. In the West, this exchange is widely discussed in connection with Russian "hostage diplomacy": capturing Western citizens, like the German sentenced to death in Belarus, and staging trials to leverage something through blackmail.

In connection with this, SPD parliamentary group vice-chairman Dirk Wiese warned Germans against travelling to Russia and Belarus. "Constructed charges and legal accusations, such as tax-related criminal cases, are not uncommon," he said in a conversation with "Tagesspiegel."

"This exchange of criminal offenders on the Western side and political hostages on the Russian and Belarusian sides must be the last," emphasized Hardt. "Now the German government must take appropriate steps to nip the blackmail model involving German citizens in the bud," he stated. He added that preventing Germans from travelling to Russia or Belarus will be challenging, but there is a need for "explanations and increased checks when leaving the country."

Meanwhile, Marcel Emmerich criticized Hungary's relaxation of entry rules for Russians and Belarusians in "Tagesspiegel." As he noted, they "raise great concern and may require action."

It concerns a law change signed by Viktor Orban at the beginning of July, which expands the accelerated procedure for issuing work visas in Hungary to Russian and Belarusian citizens. Ultimately, this will allow Russians and Belarusians covered by the Hungarian program to travel within the Schengen zone, to which Hungary belongs. The EU has also expressed concern over this situation.

Although Hungary's policy has sparked outrage in Germany and the entire EU, the EU itself generally still does not have visa restrictions or even entry sanctions against Russian or Belarusian citizens. Only direct air connections with Russia have been suspended. As we wrote in DW, despite the Russian aggression against Ukraine, Russians can still apply for a Schengen visa, which entitles them to enter all EU countries for 90 days.

According to the European Commission, in 2023, 520,000 Russians applied for a Schengen visa, and 10 percent of visa applications were rejected. In 2022, the year the war broke out, 690,000 Russians filed such applications.

For comparison: in 2023, 8 million Schengen visas were issued worldwide. Russia is one of the five countries with the highest number of visas issued. Potential spies could therefore enter the country under the "normal" visa procedure and do not necessarily need the Hungarian card.

(AFP/mar)